Does bullying cause health problems?

In 1994, 276 pupils in the first two years of an Australian secondary school were involved in the first part of a survey looking at possible links between bullying and health. In 1997, 126 senior pupils in the school (including some who took part 3 years before) were involved in the second part. It was found that bullying in the lower years can have a negative effect on physical health, both at the time and lasting into later school years. Pupils' answers revealed that bullying also had a negative effect on the mental health of the girls. However, this effect on mental and physical health was not found in the older pupils who were bullied in the upper years.
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Article details

K Rigby (1999) 'Peer Victimisation at School and the Health of Secondary School Students' in 'British Journal of Educational Psychology', Volume 69, pages 95-104.
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Author details

Ken Rigby is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Social Psychology and an educational consultant at the University of South Australia. He has been involved in major studies of bullying in Australia and has published widely on this topic. For more information about Dr Rigby and his work see the bullying pages here. Ken may be contacted by e-mail.
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