ArticleBMC psychology2020
Is bullying in adolescence associated with the development of depressive symptoms in adulthood?: A longitudinal cohort study.
Article in BMC psychology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Epigenetic mechanisms affected by stress during adolescence and the increased risk for depression later in life: a systematic review.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Cyberbullying Victimization and Mental Health Symptoms Among Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies.Trauma, violence & abuse · 2026Pooled it
- Transitions in Depressive Symptom Profiles Among Adolescents with Persistent Bullying Victimization: A Latent Transition Analysis.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- To seek or not to seek: decision-making in perceived social support among bullied adolescents.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Lifetime exposure to bullying and its association with health status and quality of life in the general Norwegian population: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Longitudinal Evidence on Peer Victimisation and Persistent Mental Health Outcomes in Youth: A Systematic Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Bullying and depression serially mediate the association between perceived gender nonconformity and suicidality among US adolescents: a theory driven intersectional analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Cyberbullying through the lens of trauma: an empirical examination of US youth.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Association between school bullying and late-life depression: Evidence from the China health and retirement longitudinal study.Geriatrics & gerontology international · 2025Article
- Trends in depressive symptoms among high school students with and without health-risk behaviors in the United States: A population-based study.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2025Article
- Bullying experiences before and after the transition from lower to upper secondary school: associations with subsequent mental health in a Swedish cohort.BMC public health · 2024Article
- The role of dieting, happiness with appearance, self-esteem, and bullying in the relationship between mental health and body-mass index among UK adolescents: a longitudinal analysis of the Millennium Cohort Study.EClinicalMedicine · 2023Article
- Bullying Victimization Moderates the Association between Social Skills and Self-Esteem among Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study in International Schools.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Participation in Bullying and Associated Health Characteristics, Risk Factors and Leisure Activities: A Profile of School-Age Children in Serbia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Biological, Psychological, and Social Determinants of Depression: A Review of Recent Literature.Brain sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBeing bullied in adolescence is linked to mental health problems like anxiety, depressive- and somatic symptoms and can have negative consequences on both an individual and a societal level. However, evidence regarding the long-term mental health consequences of bullying in adolescence is limited. The aim of this study was to examine whether being bullied at age 15 or 18 was associated with experiencing depressive symptoms at age 28, and to examine whether being bullied at both ages 15 and 18 increased the risk of experiencing depressive symptoms at age 28.
methodsA prospective cohort study, which applied data from the West Jutland Cohort Study, was conducted. Bullying and depressive symptoms were measured on the basis of self-reported data from surveys in 2004, 2007 and 2017. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. A total of 1790 participants were included in the study, and analyzed by multiple logistic regressions.
resultsThe results showed associations between being bullied at age 15 or 18 and the reporting of depressive symptoms at age 28 when adjusted for potential confounders. An exposure-response relationship was seen in those who were bullied at both ages 15 and 18. This group had the highest risk of developing depressive symptoms at age 28.
conclusionsBeing bullied in adolescence was associated with developing depressive symptoms in adulthood and there was an exposure-response relationship between being bullied over time and the later reporting of depressive symptoms. The results highlight the need to provide more detailed information to schools and local communities about the negative consequences of bullying. Such increased awareness may help reduce the risk of young people developing depressive symptoms later in life.
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