title: Bullying and parasomnias: a longitudinal cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Environmental factors such as serious trauma or abuse and related stress can lead to nightmares or night terrors. Being bullied can be very distressing for children, and victims display long-term social, psychological, and health consequences. Unknown is whether being bullied by peers may increase the risk for experiencing parasomnias such as nightmares, night terrors, or sleepwalking.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 6796 children of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort were interviewed at elementary school age (8 and 10 years) about bullying experiences with a previously validated bullying interview and at secondary school age (12.9 years) about parasomnias such as nightmares, night terrors and sleepwalking by trained postgraduate psychologists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Even after adjusting for pre-existing factors related to bullying and parasomnias, being bullied predicted having nightmares (8 years odds ratio [OR], 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.44; 10 years OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.35-1.94) or night terrors (8 years OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.10-1.75; 10 years OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.18-1.98) at age 12 to 13 years. Especially being a chronic victim was associated with both nightmares (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.46-2.27) and night terrors (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.48-2.74). Being a bully/victim also increased the risk for any parasomnia at ages 8 or 10 years (8 years OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.08-1.88; 10 years OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.30-2.36). In contrast, bullies had no increased risk for any parasomnias.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Being bullied increases the risk for having parasomnias. Hence, parents, teachers, school counselors, and clinicians may consider asking about bullying experiences if a child is having parasomnias.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom, and Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing, University of Warwick Medical School, Coventry, United Kingdom D.Wolke@warwick.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wolke
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom, and.
authors.forename: Suzet Tanya
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lereya
mesh_terms: D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D020447:Parasomnias / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: ALSPAC; bullying; night terrors; nightmares; parasomnias; sleepwalking; victimization