The negative physical and mental fallout from bullying among children and teens may accumulate throughout the years, according to a new study.
Researchers found that teens who had been bullied in the past and those currently being bullied tended to have a lower quality of life, compared to those who were bullied less or not at all.
This finding and previous research on the effects of bullying suggest more rigorous work should be done on finding ways to intervene and stop bullying, said the study's lead author.
"I think this is overwhelming support for early interventions and immediate interventions and really advancing the science about interventions," said Laura Bogart, from Boston Children's Hospital.
In the past, when researchers have surveyed students at one point in time, children and teens who were being bullied tended to score lower on measures of physical and mental health.
Poor mental health included traits such as being sad, afraid and angry, according to Bogart. Poor physical health included limitations like not being able to walk far and not being able to pick up heavy objects.
But few studies have examined whether the possible effects of bullying accumulate over years, the researchers wrote in the journal Pediatrics.
Read more from Reuters.
