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Citation
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Jadambaa A, Brain D, Pacella R, Thomas HJ, McCarthy M, Scott JG, Graves N. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub. |
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Abstract
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OBJECTIVE: This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis and estimated the economic costs attributable to child and adolescent bullying victimization in Australia.
METHOD: The costs of bullying victimization were measured from a societal perspective which accounts for costs associated with healthcare, education resources and productivity losses. A prevalence-based approach was used to estimate the annual costs for Australians who experienced bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence. This study updated a previous systematic review summarizing the association between bullying victimization and health and non-health outcomes. Costs were estimated by calculating population attributable fractions to determine the effects of bullying victimization on increased risk of adverse health outcomes such as anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, intentional self-harm and tobacco use. A top-down approach to cost estimation was taken for all outcomes of interest, except for costs incurred by educational institutions and productivity loss of victims' caregivers where a bottom-up cost estimation was applied.
RESULTS: Annual costs in 2016 on health and non-health outcomes attributable to child and adolescent bullying victimization were estimated at AUD $763 million: AUD $750 million for health system costs with AUD $147 million for anxiety disorders, AUD $322 million for depressive disorders, AUD $57 million for intentional self-harm and AUD $224 million for tobacco use; AUD $7.5 million for productivity losses of victims' caregivers; and AUD $6 million for educational services.
CONCLUSION: The findings from this study suggest a substantial annual cost to Australian society results from bullying victimization within more than 8% of annual mental health expenditure in Australia estimated to be attributable to bullying victimization.
Language: en |