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Victims of bullying in childhood and suicide attempts in adulthood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

H. Meltzer ,
P. Vostanis ,
T. Ford ,
P Bebbington  and
M.S. Dennis
H. Meltzer*
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology, University of Leicester, 22-28, Princess Road West, LeicesterLE1 6TP, United Kingdom
P. Vostanis
Affiliation:
Greenwood Institute of Child Health, Westcotes House, Westcotes Drive, Leicester, LE3 0QU, United Kingdom
T. Ford
Affiliation:
MRC Clinician Scientist, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter, ExeterEX1 2LU, United Kingdom
P Bebbington
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health Sciences, 2nd Floor, Charles Bell House, 67-73, Riding House Street, LondonW1W 7EJ, United Kingdom
M.S. Dennis
Affiliation:
The School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, SwanseaSA2 8PP, United Kingdom
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 116 252 3209; fax: +44 116 252 3272. E-mail address: hm74@le.ac.uk (H. Meltzer).
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Abstract

Purpose

To examine whether self-reported exposure to bullying during childhood is associated with suicide attempts over the life course, and if so, what mechanisms could account for this relationship.

Subjects and methods

A random probability sample comprising 7461 respondents was interviewed for the 2007 survey of psychiatric morbidity of adults in Great Britain. Survey respondents were asked about suicidal attempts and whether they were bullied in childhood.

Results

Recall of being bullied in childhood decreased with age from 25% of 16–24-year-olds to 4% among those 75 or over with few differences in the proportions between men and women. Bullying co-occurred with several victimisation experiences including sexual abuse and severe beatings and with running away from home. Even after controlling for lifetime factors known to increase the risk of suicidal behaviour, adults who reported bullying in childhood were still more than twice as likely as other adults to attempt suicide later in life.

Discussion

Being the victim of bullying involves the experience of suffering a defeat and humiliation that in turn could lead to entrapment, hopelessness, depression and suicidal behaviour.

Conclusions

Bullying is already known to be associated with substantial distress and other negative consequences and this further evidence of a strong correlation with the risk of suicide in later life should increase further the motivation of society, services and citizens to act decisively to reduce bullying in childhood.

Keywords

SuicideEpidemiologyBullying
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 26 , Issue 8 , November 2011 , pp. 498 - 503
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2011

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