Citation

Smalley KB, Warren JC, Barefoot KN. Sch. Ment. Health 2017; 9(1): 87-96.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12310-016-9194-z

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The goal of the current study was to investigate the association of experiences of bullying with 17 individual risk behaviors in a large, non-clinical sample of middle and high school students. Data were analyzed from the 2013 Georgia Student Health Survey II, administered to 6th-12th grade students in all public schools in Georgia (n = 513,909). Bullied students reported higher levels of engagement in every risk behavior investigated, with the largest connections related to safety-related absenteeism (OR 25.4, p < 0.001 and OR 17.0, p < 0.001 for high/middle school students, respectively) and bringing a weapon to school (OR 10.9, p < 0.001 and OR 6.81, p < 0.001 for high/middle school students, respectively). Overall, the current findings reveal alarming relationships between bullying and risk-taking behaviors that suggest bullying is associated with a large portion of substance use, self-harm, and weapons seen in middle and high school students. These behaviors place bullied children at risk of long-term physical and psychological consequences, as well as potential legal complications.

Language: en