Bullying May Raise Risk of Suicidal Thoughts: Study

Both victims, bullies more likely to consider taking own life by age 11

By Mary Elizabeth Dallas

Friday, March 2, 2012

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FRIDAY, March 2 (HealthDay News) -- Children involved in bullying are more likely than their peers to consider suicide by the time they are 11, a new study indicates.

These thoughts of self-harm are not limited to victims of bullying, however. The study also revealed that bullies themselves are much more prone to suicidal thoughts or some other form of self-harm.

For the study, investigators analyzed bullying among more than 6,000 children ranging in age from 4 to 10, and the prevalence of suicidal thoughts when the same children were 11 and 12.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Warwick in England and published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, found that children who were bullied over a long period of time were six times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than children who weren't bullied.

Bullies also were at increased risk for self-harm and suicidal thoughts -- even those who were never victimized themselves, the researchers found. The findings were not as consistent among this group, however, the study authors noted in a university news release.

Even after taking into account other factors, such as family circumstances or preexisting emotional problems, the researchers were unable to find other reasons for the increased instance of suicidal thoughts among children involved in bullying. Although the study found an association between bullying and suicidal thoughts or self-harming behavior, however, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

"Our study findings suggest that suicide-related behavior is a serious problem for pre-adolescent youth: 4.8 percent of this community population reported suicidal thoughts and 4.6 percent reported suicidal or self-injurious behavior," study co-author Dieter Wolke, a professor of psychology at Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, said in the news release.

"Health practitioners should be aware of the relationship between bullying and suicide, and should recognize the very real risks that may be evident earlier in development than commonly thought," Wolke said.

SOURCE: University of Warwick, news release, Feb. 29, 2012

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