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Bullied teens at increased risk for depression as adults
Adolescent peer-victimization significantly increased the risk for developing depression by adulthood, according to recent study data.
“There was a dose-response relation between frequency of peer victimization in adolescence and the risk of developing depression meeting ICD-10 criteria at age 18 years,” study researcher Lucy Bowes, PhD, of the University of Oxford, and colleagues wrote in the British Medical Journal. “Adolescents who reported frequent bullying by peers were about twice as likely to develop depression compared with nonvictimized peers.”
To determine the longitudinal relationship between peer-victimization and the emergence of depression as an adult, Bowes and colleagues analyzed data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort in the United Kingdom. Researchers completed an observational study that examined 6,719 adolescents who reported on peer-victimization at age 13 years.
Data showed that depression increased with the frequency of bullying. Approximately 5% of teens who were not victimized reported an increase in depression, compared with nearly 15% in those who had been bullied.
Bowe and colleagues wrote that 29.2% (95% CI, 10.9%-43.7%) of the burden of depression at age 18 is a result of victimization during adolescence. They said the study’s longitudinal nature reduced the possibility of reverse causality.
Victimization included: teens being called names, having personal items stolen, being lied about and being hit or beaten. Between 41% and 74% of teenagers reported that they did not tell their teachers about the bullying; 24% to 51% reported not informing their parents.
Study participants who were bullied at age 13 were more likely to be girls and more likely to have displayed emotional or behavioral problems before the incidents.
No evidence of an interaction between being bullied and depression at age 13 and predicting depression as an adult was found, suggesting that bullying is associated with both onset and persistent depression. Bullied teens also were more likely to exhibit higher levels of concurrent depressive symptoms.
“Depression is a major public health problem worldwide, with high social and economic costs,” Bowes and colleagues wrote. “If peer victimization in adolescence is a causal factor, then the prevention of victimization in schools could be an effective means of reducing the incidence of depression.” – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
