Bullying, depression, and suicidal ideation in Finnish adolescents: school survey

Abstract

Objective To assess the relation between being bullied or being a bully at school, depression, and severe suicidal ideation. Design A school based survey of health, health behaviour, and behaviour in school which included questions about bullying and the Beck depression inventory, which includes items asking about suicidal ideation. Setting Secondary schools in two regions of Finland. Participants 16 410 adolescents aged 14-16. Results There was an increased prevalence of depression and severe suicidal ideation among both those who were bullied and those who were bullies. Depression was equally likely to occur among those who were bullied and those who were bullies. It was most common among those students who were both bullied by others and who were also bullies themselves. When symptoms of depression were controlled for, suicidal ideation occurred most often among adolescents who were bullies. Conclusion Adolescents who are being bullied and those who are bullies are at an increased risk of depression and suicide. The need for psychiatric intervention should be considered not only for victims of bullying but also for bullies.

Bullying victimisation, self harm and associated factors in Irish adolescent boys

“…School bullying victimisation was associated with a broad range of mental health factors, peer and family relationship difficulties and negative life events in this study, which is consistent with previous research findings ( Analitis et al, 2009, Kaltiala-Heino et al, 1999, Seals and Young, 2003. Both self esteem and serious physical abuse remained in the final explanatory model for boys.…”

“…Bullying victimisation is a common problem among adolescents of both sexes (Kaltiala-Heino et al, 1999, Nansel et al, 2001, Salmon et al, 1998, with lifetime prevalence of between 10.5% and 29.6% reported in a multi-centre European study (Analitis et al, 2009). An Irish study reported that 15.6% of 12-18 year olds had been bullied at some point (O'Moore et al, 1997).…”

“…Bullying victimisation warrants attention in the context of self-harm among young men because of its association with suicidal ideation (Rigby and Slee, 1999) and deliberate self-harm (Barker et al, 2008, Cleary, 2000, Kim et al, 2005, Mills et al, 2004 as well as with a wide range of mental health problems, such as depression (Brunstein Klomek et al, 2007, Kaltiala-Heino et al, 1999, Seals and Young, 2003, anxiety (Cleary, 2000), eating disorders (Kaltiala-Heino et al, 2000) and poor self-esteem (Delfabbro et al, 2006). A Danish longitudinal study reported that boys who were bullied at school were at increased risk of being diagnosed with depression between the ages of 31 and 51 compared with those without the experience of school bullying victimisation (Lund et al, 2009).…”

Involvement in Bullying and Suicide-Related Behavior at 11 Years: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study

“…Previous cross-sectional studies have reported an association between bullying behavior and suicide ideation or behavior. 10,12,13,31 Bullies are often exposed to family adversity and inconsistent parenting, 12 and are at increased risk for psychiatric morbidity in childhood, generally. One prospective study 18 reported that bullying perpetration at age 8 was not associated with suicide ideation 10 years later, after controlling for childhood depression and conduct problems.…”

Bullying Experiences Among Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders

“…This is especially concerning, as repeated victimization can lead to reduced self-confidence and faith in others (Salmivalli, Ojanen, Haanpää, & Peets, 2005). Researchers and clinicians recommend that children who experience chronic victimization over time, as well as their families, be referred for mental health agencies for support (Cummings et al, 2006;Kaltiala-Heino et al, 1999;Kumpulainen, Räsänen, & Puura, 2001). Empiricallysupported psychotherapy approaches for children and their families can provide intensive scaffolding for relationship skills with which children with ASD likely experience difficulties (Cummings et al, 2006;Mishna, 1996aMishna, , 1996bMishna, , 2003Pepler, 2006).…”