Bullying has longtime repercussions

A study into whether childhood bullying has long-lasting implications suggests that victimization at a young age has side effects that carry on well into mid-life.

The British National Child Development Study’s data come from nearly 8,000 now-middle-aged participants, all of whom were born in a single week in 1958.

Results of the 40-plus-year study indicate that those who were victims of bullying at age 7 and 11 (more than 40 percent of the kids) are in poorer physical health at age 50 than those who had not been bullied. Additionally, they report an increased rate of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Here in the U.S., between a quarter and one-third of students reported having been bullied, mostly in middle school, according to www.stopbullying.gov.