The impact of childhood bullying on the daily lives of Nordic children and young adolescents

AIM: Childhood bullying may negatively affect the mental health in children and adolescents, but few studies have explored this potential link. We aimed to investigate the association between childhood bullying and the impact of poor mental health on the daily life in a population of Nordic children...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta Paediatrica
Main Authors: Krusell, Magnus Kirketerp, Hohwü, Lena, Bjereld, Ylva, Madsen, Kathrine Bang, Obel, Carsten
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2019
Subjects:
Adolescent
Bullying
Child
Preschool
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Mental Disorders/epidemiology
Scandinavian and Nordic Countries/epidemiology
Iceland
Online Access:https://vbn.aau.dk/da/publications/b7c7b10b-9c8f-4a32-8731-1bb34c00911c
https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.14642
Description
Summary:AIM: Childhood bullying may negatively affect the mental health in children and adolescents, but few studies have explored this potential link. We aimed to investigate the association between childhood bullying and the impact of poor mental health on the daily life in a population of Nordic children and adolescents aged 5-16 years. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was based on data from the Nordic survey on Children's Health and Wellbeing (NordChild) from 2011. The study population included 4966 children from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Mental health was measured by a parent-reported version of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. We conducted multiple logistic regression analyses to estimate the odds ratios of poor mental health in bullied compared to non-bullied children and adolescents while adjusting for sex, age, body mass index and parental socioeconomic status. RESULTS: Bullied children and adolescents were four times more likely than their non-bullied peers to have mental health problems with negative impact on their daily life at home, in their relations to friends, learning in school or leisure activities (adjusted odds ratio: 4.32; 95% CI: 3.54-5.26). CONCLUSION: This study found negative impact on the mental health in bullied children and adolescents, which affected several arenas of daily life.

Similar Items