title: Having been bullied in childhood: relationship to aggressive behaviour in adulthood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Victimization through being bullied in childhood is traditionally associated with subsequent internalizing symptoms, but some literature suggests otherwise. In this study, we examined a history of being bullied in relationship to 21 externalized aggressive behaviours in adulthood.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a cross-sectional approach and a self-report survey methodology, we examined a history of being bullied in childhood in relation to 21 aggression variables in a consecutive sample of 342 internal medicine outpatients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison with the not bullied, participants who reported having been bullied in childhood had a statistically significantly greater overall number of self-reported aggressive behaviours. Longer duration of being bullied was statistically significantly correlated with a greater number of reported aggressive behaviours. With regard to individual behaviours, four were statistically significantly associated with being bullied: hitting walls; intentionally breaking things; getting into fist fights; and pushing/shoving a partner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While relationships between bullying in childhood and subsequent internalizing symptoms have been well established, the present study indicates that bullying in childhood is also associated with externalizing/aggressive behaviours in adulthood.
authors.affiliation: 1Departments of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine at Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Randy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sansone
authors.forename: Justin S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Michael W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Wiederman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult