Children who experience bullying are more likely to develop distrust and are 3.5 times more likely to have clinically significant mental health problems by the age of 17, the study found.
The study, published in the journal Nature Mental Health, is believed to be the first to examine the link between peer bullying, interpersonal distrust and the subsequent development of psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, hyperactivity and anger.
For the study, researchers from the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) in the US and the University of Glasgow in the UK used data from 10,000 children in the UK.
They found that adolescents who were bullied at age 11 and subsequently developed greater interpersonal distrust at age 14 were about 3.5 times more likely to have clinically significant mental health problems at age 17 compared to those who who trusted each other less.
The findings could help schools and other institutions develop new evidence-based interventions to counter the negative effects of bullying on mental health, said Dr. George Slavich, who directs the UCLA Health Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research.
“There are few public health topics more important today than youth mental health,” Slavich said.
“To help teenagers reach their full potential, we need to invest in research that identifies risk factors for poor health and that translates that knowledge into prevention programs that can improve lifelong health and resilience,” he said.
Previous research has identified links between bullying and mental and behavioral health problems in youth, including its impact on substance abuse, depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal ideation.
However, this study follows youth over time and is the first to confirm the hypothesized pathway of bullying leading to distrust and subsequently to mental health problems in late adolescence.
Slavich said that when people develop clinically significant mental health problems during adolescence, it can increase their risk of having both mental and physical health problems throughout their lives if left untreated.
In addition to interpersonal distrust, the team investigated whether diet, sleep or physical activity also linked peer bullying to subsequent psychological problems.
However, only interpersonal distrust was found to link bullying with a higher risk of mental health problems at age 17.
“These data suggest that we really need school-based programs that help foster a sense of interpersonal trust at the classroom and school level,” Slavich said.
“One way to do this would be to develop evidence-based programs that specifically focus on the transition to high school and college and that frame school as an opportunity to develop close, long-term relationships,” he said.
