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A new study led by the University of Delaware found that kids who are bullied in fifth grade often suffer from depression and begin using alcohol and other substances a few years after the incidents.
"Students who experienced more frequent peer victimization in fifth grade were more likely to have greater symptoms of depression in seventh grade, and a greater likelihood of using alcohol, marijuana or tobacco in tenth grade," said the study's leader, Valerie Earnshaw, a social psychologist and assistant professor in UD's College of Education and Human Development.
The study involved researchers from universities and hospitals in six states, who analyzed data collected between 2004 and 2011 from 4,297 students on their journey from fifth through tenth grade. The findings were published online in the medical journal Pediatrics.
The students were from Birmingham, Alabama; Houston, Texas; and Los Angeles County, California. Forty-four percent were Latino, 29 percent were African American and 22 percent were white.
Do you see this being true in your own life, or in the lives of others you know?
Peer Victimization, Depressive Symptoms, and Substance Use: A Longitudinal Analysis (open, DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-3426) (DX)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by r_a_trip on Wednesday May 10 2017, @12:40PM (1 child)
Did you find anything that improved the mental health significantly?
Yes. I've been bullied and mobbed by teachers throughout primary school. Was made to feel unwanted and worthless. It really messed me up. Had a few therapy sessions over the years. Luckily the last therapist understood I needed to process my issues and give them the place they needed. He set me on the path of facing all my issues and the underlying causes and process them, so that they didn't directly impact me anymore in the present.
Resolving my issues and putting them in the past, I discovered a very powerful principle. Ultimately, I'm the one keeping any hurt alive. All the bullies are no longer impacting my life. So any pain, resentment, anger, fear and sadness on a loop in my head is being kept there by me. Once I understood I was the one keeping the terror active, I was able to let it go.
I'm emotionally much more stable now. My interactions with other people are no longer completely dominated by defense mechanisms against abuse. Of course there is still residual damage. Problems with self-esteem and self-worth. Periodic mood swings. Generally more cynical than I need to be. I'm much better than I used to be, but it's not on a fully acceptable level yet.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Wednesday May 10 2017, @04:11PM
I learned that with worry: 99% of the things you worry about will not come true. Find that 1% you really need to deal with and prep for it.
Face it, deal with it and put it behind you: and yes sometimes dealing with it is SOOOO much harder than not dealing, but in the end you'll be able to hold your head up.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---