Can social support protect bullied adolescents from adverse outcomes? A prospective study on the effects of bullying on the educational achievement and mental health of adolescents at secondary schools in East London.
This paper investigates the extent to which social support can have a buffering effect against the potentially adverse consequences of bullying on school achievement and mental health. It uses a representative multiethnic sample of adolescents attending East London secondary schools in three boroughs. Bullied adolescents were less likely to achieve the appropriate academic achievement benchmark for their age group and bullied boys (but not girls) were more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms compared to those not bullied. High levels of social support from family were important in promoting good mental health. There was evidence that high levels of support from friends and moderate (but not high) family support was able to protect bullied adolescents from poor academic achievement. Support from friends and family was not sufficient to protect adolescents against mental health difficulties that they might face as a result of being bullied. More active intervention from schools is recommended.
Rothon
Catherine
C
Centre for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Old Anatomy Building, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK. c.rothon@qmul.ac.uk
Head
Jenny
J
Klineberg
Emily
E
Stansfeld
Stephen
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010379:Peer Group; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013334:Students