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Bidirectional Association Between Bullying Perpetration and Internalizing Problems Among Youth
Marine Azevedo Da Silva1, Jasmin C Gonzalez2, Gregory L Person3
1Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York.
Summary
Bullying perpetration is linked to internalizing problems in youth. These issues appear to influence each other over time, suggesting interventions should address both bullying and mental health.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Mental Health
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Understanding the temporal relationship between bullying and mental health is crucial for effective youth interventions.
- Internalizing problems, such as anxiety and depression, are common among adolescents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the bidirectional association between bullying perpetration and internalizing problems in a US youth sample.
- To inform the development of targeted prevention and intervention strategies for youth mental health.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) prospective cohort study (Waves 1 and 2).
- Analyzed a nationally representative sample of 13,200 youths aged 12-17 years.
- Employed binary and multinomial logistic regressions to assess associations.
Main Results:
- A significant cross-sectional association was found between bullying perpetration and moderate/high lifetime internalizing problems.
- Bullying perpetration predicted an increased likelihood of internalizing problems at follow-up.
- Internalizing problems also predicted a higher likelihood of bullying perpetration at follow-up.
Conclusions:
- The association between youth bullying perpetration and internalizing problems is bidirectional.
- Interventions should address both bullying behaviors and underlying mental health issues in young people.
- Recognizing the interplay between these factors is key for comprehensive youth support.
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