Bullying and Pain in School-Aged Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Bullying is defined as repeated and unwanted aggressive behavior involving a power imbalance and hurt children and adolescents' socioemotional functioning. The aim is to investigate associations between pain (headache, stomach pain, backache, and neck/shoulder pain) and bullying among school-aged children and adolescents. This cross-sectional schoolbased survey comes from the Icelandic data set in the international research network Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children. The study population included all Icelandic students in Grades 6, 8, and 10 (ages 11, 13, and 15 years, respectively; participation rate, 84%; n ¼ 10,626). An anonymous standardized questionnaire was distributed and completed by students in their classrooms. About every 8 in 10 bullied students reported weekly pain (79%), compared with little over half of nonbullied students (57%). The prevalence of pain was significantly higher among bullied students compared with their nonbullied peers. Being a bullying victim was associated with an increased frequency of experiencing headaches, stomachaches, and back pain, in addition to neck or shoulder pain. It is important for mental health nurses and health professionals to ask about pain when meeting with children and adolescents as well as to inquire about their peer relationships.

Risk Factors for Bullying Victimization in Children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1)

“…Bullying victimization is associated with health consequences including difficulty with sleep, poor eating habits, depression, and anxiety [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. The prevalence of reported pain (e.g., stomachaches, headaches, and back pain) is significantly higher in victims of bullying [ 23 ]. Indeed, bullying victimization is recognized by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine [ 24 ] as a serious health concern affecting children and adolescents worldwide.…”

A Philosophical Review of School Nursing Framed by the Holistic Nursing Theory of Barbara Dossey

“…The school nurse often sees children and adolescents with different types of pain such as headaches or stomach aches (Høie et al, 2017;Wigert et al, 2019). Physical pain is more common in children and adolescents who are also depressed (Borgman et al, 2020) or bullied (Garmy et al, 2019a). The use of painkillers is also more common in children and adolescents who are depressed (Hena et al, 2019) or bullied (Garmy et al, 2019b).…”

The impact of school bullying on adolescent migration expectations in Iceland

“…Bullied children show worse social adjustment than other children (Goldbaum, Craig, Pepler, & Connolly, 2003), have lower self-esteem (Juvonen, Nishina, & Graham, 2000), and are more likely to be lonely and withdrawn and to internalise their problems (Goldbaum, Craig, Pepler, & Connolly, 2003). They are also more prone to various psychological and physical health problems (Garmy, Hansson, Vilhjálmsson, & Kristjánsdóttir, 2019a;Hansson, Garmy, Vilhjálmsson, & Kristjánsdóttir, 2020;Wright, 2015) as well as being at an increased risk of suicide attempts (Arnarsson, Malmquist, & Bjarnason, 2017). These symptoms are seen in victims of both sexes, all ages and irrespective of whether the bullying is direct or indirect, and such negative consequences of bullying are both reported by both the victims and their peers (Hawker & Boulton, 2000).…”

“…On the contrary, an analysis of the international HBSC data revealed that bullying actually has a stronger negative effect on life satisfaction of individuals in schools and countries where bullying is less frequent (Arnarsson & Bjarnason, 2018). In Iceland, victims of bullying report poorer relations with their parents and are less likely to report having a best friend (Arnarsson & Bjarnason, 2009), report more physical and psychological symptoms (Garmy, Hansson, Vilhjálmsson, & Kristjánsdóttir, 2019a; Hansson, Garmy, Vilhjálmsson, & Kristjánsdóttir, 2020), use more pain medication controlling for self‐reported pain (Garmy, Hansson, Vilhjálmsson, & Kristjánsdóttir, 2019b), and are more likely to have attempted suicide (Arnarsson, Malmquist, & Bjarnason, 2017).…”