A joint research from the University of Warwick and University of Bristol has shown instances of self-harming in teens due to childhood bullying.
The new research shows the influence of childhood bullying in later adolescence, which may result in increased risk of self-harming instances. Such behavior rises from a desire to overcome stress, which may even lead to suicidal objectives. According to the university's news release, the study found that more than one third of the participants in the study had suicidal intent and more than 15 percent of the adolescent participants had harmed themselves in the past year.
For this study, researchers interviewed nearly 5,000 participants, who were a part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), for exposure to bullying in their childhood. Later, the researchers asked if the participants were involved in any kind of self-harming instances at the ages of 16 or 17 years. The study found that children exposed to childhood bullying at an early age were nearly five times more likely to harm themselves during their later adolescence.
The results of the study found an association between childhood bullying and self-harm intent in adolescence and there was no change in the end result among girls or boys of same age. It was also noticed that girls experienced bullying twice as much as boys, and indulged in self-harm to overcome stress and tension.
"It is further evidence for doing away with the myth that bullying at a young age can be viewed as a harmless rite of passage," Professor Dieter Wolke of the University of Warwick explained in the news release. "I'd like to see clinicians routinely asking children about bullying - from name calling to more physical acts of abuse. The importance of this early intervention should not be understated. If we were able to eliminate bullying, while other exposures remained constant, there would be a potential to prevent 20% of all self-harm cases."
Professor Wolke further stressed on the importance of considering childhood bullying more seriously and advised parents to show moral support to help their children fight.
Previous studies have shown that the victims of bullying are at greater risk of developing depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, generalized anxiety, panic disorder and agoraphobia.
The findings are published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
