(September 8, 2009 - Insidermedicine)

Both bullying and being bullied in childhood have been linked with later psychiatric distress in a study published in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Here are some ways to help stop bullying:

•    Be aware that much bullying occurs away from the eyes of teachers and parents and that victims may be ashamed or afraid to come forward

•    Re-examine some of your own attitudes toward interpersonal behavior – telling a victim of bullying not to "tattle" can make matters worse

•    Ensure that you always provide consistent and effective consequences for bullying behavior among children in your charge

Researchers from Turku University Hospital looked at the relationship between bullying or being bullied among over 5,000 8-year-old Finnish schoolchildren and later psychiatric problems. Information about bullying was collected from parents, teachers, and the children themselves.

Among the girls, being a victim of frequent bullying was associated with an increased risk of being hospitalized for a psychiatric problem as well as needing psychiatric drugs to control psychosis, depression, and anxiety. Among the boys, being a bully or being a victim of bullying were associated with similar outcomes. A key difference between the sexes, however, was that the relationship between bullying and psychiatric illness remained among the girls after taking into account any existing psychiatric illnesses at the outset of the study. In contrast, among the boys, taking into account these illnesses eliminated the link between bullying and psychiatric problems.

Today's research suggests that while being bullied may make girls more vulnerable to psychiatric illness, both bulling and being bullied may be a sign of the presence of established psychiatric illness in boys. These findings highlight the need to address bullying behavior as early as possible