Does bullying cause health problems?

An English study involved 1,639 primary school pupils and their parents. It found that there was a link between direct bullying (for example hitting) and common health problems, although the link was not as strong as that found in other studies. It did not find a link between the social/psychological type of bullying (for example keeping someone out of things) and health problems. It was found that those involved in direct bullying, as victims or as both victim and bully (victim/bully) and also girls, were most likely to suffer from physical health problems such as colds and coughs. Another finding was that those involved in direct bullying as victims or victim/bully and also year 2 children, were more likely to suffer from problems such as anxiety about going to school and sleep problems. According to this study, the bully was not only healthier than the victims but also than the children who were not directly involved.
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Article details

D Wolke, S Woods, L Bloomfield, L Karstadt (2001) 'Bullying Involvement in Primary School and Common Health Problems' in 'Archives of Disease in Childhood', Volume 85, pages 197-201.
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