Let’s talk about the impact of bullying
The Lingering Impact of Childhood Bullying: A 40-Year Study
Bullying happens in the moment, but doesn’t stay in the moment.
This article is about a lightbulb moment for me.
I was doing some research at the end of last year on the challenges that show up most for my clients and myself (I am my client, a few years on).
And what suddenly came clear was the link to all those challenges - the way they / I was treated in childhood.
There was an even bigger link that I discovered: “bullying”.
What is bullying?
Dictionaries will define bullying in various scientific ways, one definition is - “a person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable.”
This can of course include:
Peers, such as children bullying each other
Parents
Step-parents
Caregivers
Teachers
Partner, husband/wife
Persons in power
What is the impact of bullying?
Experiences of bullying (also deemed a traumatic event), whether in childhood by or in adult life (by any of the above) can overwhelm your body and mind, leaving a lasting mark on your mood, relationships, and sense of self long after the trauma has ended.
Bullying can take place across a spectrum of places including schools, work places, institutions, educational systems, homes and online (cyberbullying).
Short and long-term effects have been found on the individual who is bullied, the individual who bullies, the individual who is bullied and bullies others, and the bystander present during the bullying event.
Being bullied makes young people incredibly insecure: when you're being bullied, you can feel constantly insecure and on guard as well as unaccepted, isolated, angry, and withdrawn.
Unless victims process the resulting trauma, it can change your brain structure in such a way that it influences your thought patterns and behavioural responses as you get older.
The Study*
When I began to research bullies and bullying, I discovered that there was a study conducted by King's College London which sheds light on the lasting consequences of childhood bullying, revealing that its negative effects continue nearly four decades later.
Published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2014, this ground-breaking research delves into the long-term social, physical, and mental health implications of childhood bullying, challenging misunderstandings about its transient nature.
Personally, as a victim of bullying in both childhood, work and relationships in later life and having read the details of this study, my behavioural responses to life and situations now make so much more sense.
I also see similar behavioural responses in many of the clients I work with - more on those behavioural responses another time.
The Enlightening Insights of The Study
The study draws its insights from the British National Child Development Study, pooling data from all children born in England, Scotland, and Wales during a specific week in 1958.
This includes information from 7,771 children, with parental reports on bullying from ages 7 and 11.
Follow-ups were conducted until the participants reached the age of 50, providing a unique and extensive perspective on the lifelong impact of childhood bullying.
Key Findings:
Dr Ryu Takizawa, lead author of the study, emphasised the lasting effects of childhood bullying, describing them as "persistent and pervasive."
The research identifies a direct link between childhood bullying and adverse health, social, and economic outcomes well into adulthood.
Nearly 28% of the study's participants experienced occasional bullying, while 15% faced frequent bullying - figures consistent with modern day rates in the UK.
Those who were bullied in childhood exhibited an increased likelihood of depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal thoughts at age 50.
Other findings were as follows:
Being bullied (occasionally or frequently) was associated with higher levels of psychological distress at age 23 and also at age 50, almost 40 years after exposure.
Being bullied in childhood was also associated with self-ratings of poor general health at ages 23 and 50, and with poor cognitive functioning at age 50.
Children who were bullied were at increased risk of living without a spouse or partner at age 50 and lacked robust social support, and reported lower life satisfaction.
Childhood bullying correlates with lower educational attainment.
Implications and Recommendations:
Professor Louise Arseneault, the senior author of the study, urges a shift away from perceiving bullying as an inevitable part of growing up. The study calls for increased awareness among teachers, parents, and policymakers about the long-term repercussions of bullying. The research underscores the importance of early intervention to prevent lasting effects into adolescence and adulthood.
What you need to know:
This pioneering study from King's College London in 2014, now 10 years ago, exposes the enduring impact of childhood bullying, challenging conventional beliefs about its transient nature.
What now?
I am pleased to see so many organisations involved in the fight against bullying, as well as Anti-Bullying Week (November 11 - November 17) run by National Children’s Bureau and the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
The week is an annual UK event, which aims to raise awareness of bullying of children and young people , in schools and elsewhere, and to highlight ways of preventing and responding to it
It started in 2002 and has since grown to become a significant event in the calendars of children, families and schools with an estimated 80% of schools in the UK taking part reaching over 7.5 million children and young people.
Current Facts:
One child in every classroom experiences bullying each day.
30% of children have been bullied in the last year alone.
The impact can include a range of mental health issues, earning less money, unemployment, obesity, not in a stable relationship and leaving school with no qualifications.
Conclusion:
You see that the findings from this research are detailed and thought provoking as well as surprising.
I am pleased to see that there is so much awareness these days - in my experiences there was nobody to turn to (not wanting to ask for help/not knowing if there was help), so I buried all those emotions deep inside me.
I have had the opportunity over the last year to work on and resolve these emotions, as well as to forgive and accept something that I didn’t know was necessary for me to do, in order for me to be able to move on and develop a different side to my life that I didn’t know even existed.
By putting that part to bed, metaphorically, I now feel able to move forward confidently, no longer held back by feelings of low-self worth - something I have carried with me all my life.
Reading that research project was another epiphany in my life and I am so thankful for being led to it and having the deep understanding I now have of the reasons why I am the way I am.
But no longer - I know parts of me can be healed, which means I am no longer held back by beliefs that no longer serve me.
I hope this will be possible for many others and I look forward to sharing more information around my experience over the coming months.
Please reach out to me personally if any of the details in this article resonate with you or contact any of the organisations mentioned below for help or more information around bullying.
Please note I am not a qualified doctor or a psychiatrist and am unable to offer any direct advice around bullying itself.
I only have my own experience to speak about - everybody has their own personal viewpoint.
I leave you now to contemplate this large topic that needs careful consideration and action in many ways across the spectrum of schools, work places, educational systems, homes, online (cyberbullying) and places where bullying may be prevalent.
In our modern day this should not still be happening and the damaging affects should be advertised far and wide and continue to be drummed in at every level.
My heart goes out to anybody who has been personally affected in any way and my hope is that this article will raise awareness of the extremely damaging affects of bullying into later life.
Here I am writing something that feels almost visceral and I will be making this my mission to help those affected improve their lives - more on that another time.
Lara 💛
#antibullying #mentalhealth
Some of the organisations I would like to signpost to you as a resource:
The National Bullying Helpline
Mind - The truth about bullying and mental health
Outward - Domestic Violence, Abuse and Cyber Bullying
*And here is the link to the study itself for those of you wanting to read: https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.13101401
