Children who become distrustful of others after being bullied are more likely to develop serious mental health problems in adolescence, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Mental Health.
Children who become distrustful of others after being bullied are more likely to develop serious mental health problems in adolescence, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Mental Health.
The study, co-led by UCLA Health and the University of Glasgow, investigated the link between developing high levels of distrust of others after being bullied in childhood and later reporting mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. It is believed to be the first study to , anger and hyperactivity.
Researchers looked at data from 10,000 children in the UK who were studied over nearly 20 years.
According to a news release from the University of California, Los Angeles, people who were bullied at age 11 and had increased interpersonal distrust by age 14 were more likely to experience clinical depression at age 17 than those who were less distrustful. They found that “people are approximately 3.5 times more likely to experience serious mental health problems''. health services.
While other studies have identified a link between bullying and mental health issues in young people, UCLA Health notes that this study “explains how bullying leads to mistrust and, in turn, to the mental health of late adolescents.” “For the first time, we have confirmed a suspicious route that could lead to a problem.”
According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 44.2% of high school students sampled in the U.S. reported feeling depressed for at least two weeks in 2021, and 1 in 10 students surveyed reported feeling depressed that year. Reported to have attempted suicide.
Researchers also looked at things like diet, sleep, and physical activity, but the study found that “only interpersonal distrust was found to be associated with bullying and an increased risk of experiencing mental health problems at age 17.” It turned out that it was.
“Researchers looked at these alarming trends from the perspective of social safety theory. Social safety theory suggests that social threats, such as bullying, mean that others cannot be trusted, or that the world is unkind, dangerous, or dangerous. “We hypothesize that this may impact mental health by instilling the belief that the world is an 'unpredictable place,'” UCLA Health said.
Learning that mistrust is a risk factor for mental health problems will help schools and other institutions improve their education, said George Slavich, Ph.D., the study's lead author and director of the Stress Assessment and Research Institute at UCLA Health. It could help counter the negative effects of bullying.
“These data suggest that there is a real need for school-based programs that help foster interpersonal trust at the classroom and school level,” Slavic said in a statement. “One way to do this is to develop evidence-based programs that specifically focus on the transition to high school and college, positioning school as an opportunity to build intimate, long-term relationships.”
The study was co-authored by Slavic, a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA, and Dr. Dimitris Tsomokos, a researcher at the University of Glasgow.
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