Bullied in fifth grade, poor health in tenth grade?

A new study in Pediatrics, co-authored by faculty member Mark Schuster, examines the longitudinal associations of bullying with mental and physical health from elementary to high school. The study, titled “Peer Victimization in Fifth Grade and Health in Tenth Grade,” revealed that bullying was associated with worse mental and physical health, greater depression symptoms, and lower self-worth over time. These findings suggest that if clinicians recognize bullying when it first starts and intervene accordingly, they may be able to reverse the downward health trajectory experienced by youth who are repeated targets.