Kelly EV, Newton NC, Stapinski LA, Slade T, Barrett EL, Conrod PJ, Teesson M. Prev. Med. 2015; 73: 100-105.
Affiliation
NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to compare suicidality, internalizing problems and externalizing problems among adolescent victims, bullies and bully-victims.
METHOD: This study examined bullying involvement among a subset of the baseline sample of the Climate and Preventure study, a trial of a comprehensive substance use prevention intervention for adolescents in 2012. The sample included 1588 Year 7-9 students in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia.
RESULTS: Victims, bullies and bully-victims had more problems than uninvolved students. Students with internalizing problems were more likely to be a victim than a bully. Some externalizing problems (alcohol and tobacco use) were associated with increased odds of being a bully, but not others (cannabis use and conduct/hyperactivity symptoms). Suicidal ideation, internalizing problems and some externalizing problems increased the odds of being a bully-victim compared to being a bully or a victim.
CONCLUSION: Early intervention for adolescents frequently involved in bullying may reduce the onset of substance use and other mental disorders. It would be advisable for bullying interventions to include a focus on substance use and mental health problems. A reduction in these chronic and detrimental problems among adolescents could potentially lead to a concomitant reduction in bullying involvement.