Study: Bullying is a public health problem
By Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times
Bullying may be responsible for nearly 30 percent of cases of depression among adults, a new study suggests.
By tracking 2,668 people from early childhood through adulthood, researchers found that 13-year-olds who were frequent targets of bullies were three times more likely than their non-victimized peers to be depressed as adults.
Even when the researchers accounted for factors like a teen’s record of behavioral problems, social class, child abuse and family history of depression, those who were bullied at least once a week were more than twice as likely to be depressed when they grew up.
The findings, published Tuesday in the BMJ, should prompt parents, teachers and public health authorities to get serious about cracking down on bullying, the study authors wrote.