Childhood Bullying Is Not Harmless, Even in the Long Run

Whether bullying in childhood has adverse behavioral and emotional effects in adulthood is not well understood. In a prospective, population-based, cohort study, researchers assessed 1420 children (baseline ages, 9, 11, and 13 years) annually until age 18 and then again at ages 19, 21, and 25 (follow-up in adulthood, 1273 individuals). Adulthood assessments included structured psychiatric diagnostic interviews.

Parent and child reports of bullying (victim, perpetrator, or both) between ages 9 and 16 yielded 484 cases and 789 controls. No differences by sex were seen for victims. After adjustment for preexisting childhood disorders, victims in adulthood had elevated rates of panic disorder (odds ratio, 3.1), agoraphobia (OR, 4.6), and general…