The Association Between Bullies and the Bullied: Psychopathic Adolescents

In an effort to gauge the psychiatric elements of bullying behavior, a group of researchers administered and gathered self-report surveys from 2,342 high school students. This study, recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, reported a strong link between both bullying peers and being a bullying target, and high risk of depression and suicidality. Approximately 9% of the sample said they were bullied frequently, and 13% admitted bullying others frequently. Researchers noted that psychopathology was frequently associated with bullying, and that exposure to, or engagement in, bullying behavior merits an assessment of depression and suicidality symptoms. http://www.jaacap.com/pt/re/jaacap/abstract.00004583-200701000-00008

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