Citation

Sansone RA, Lam C, Wiederman MW. Int. J. Psychiatry Clin. Prac. 2013; 17(1): 69-72.

Affiliation

Psychiatry and Internal Medicine, Wright State University School of Medicine , Dayton, OH , USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.3109/13651501.2012.693185

PMID

23384225

Abstract

Objective. Being bullied in childhood is empirically associated with a number of negative psychosocial outcomes, including delinquency. However, no study to date has examined in a clinical population relationships between being bullied in childhood and accruing charges for criminal behavior in adulthood - the focus of the present study. Method. In this cross-sectional study of 377 consecutive outpatients from an internal medicine clinic, we examined relationships between three self- reported bullying variables and self-reported charges for any of 27 criminal behaviors as schematized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Results. In this sample, approximately 45% of participants self-reported being victims of bullying in childhood. Men, but not women, evidenced relationships between being a victim of bullying in childhood and the number of different illegal charges reported in adulthood. Conclusions. Although the methodology of this study does not allow for the determination of a causal relationship, findings suggest that being a victim of bullying in childhood may be associated with criminal behavior in adulthood, particularly among males.

Language: en