title: Bullying victimisation and risk of psychotic phenomena: analyses of British national survey data.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Being bullied is an aversive experience with short-term and long-term consequences, and is incorporated in biopsychosocial models of psychosis. We used the 2000 and the 2007 British Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys to test the hypothesis that bullying is associated with individual psychotic phenomena and with psychosis, and predicts the later emergence of persecutory ideation and hallucinations.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed two nationally representative surveys of individuals aged 16 years or older in Great Britain (2000) and England (2007). Respondents were presented with a card listing stressful events to identify experiences of bullying over the entire lifespan. We assessed associations with the dependent variables persecutory ideation, auditory and visual hallucinations, and diagnosis of probable psychosis. All analyses were controlled for sociodemographic confounders, intelligence quotient (IQ), and other traumas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We used data for 8580 respondents from 2000 and 7403 from 2007. Bullying was associated with presence of persecutory ideation and hallucinations, remaining so after adjustment for sociodemographic factors, IQ, other traumas, and childhood sexual abuse. Bullying was associated with a diagnosis of probable psychosis. If reported at baseline, bullying predicted emergence and maintenance of persecutory ideation and hallucinations during 18 months of follow-up in the 2000 survey. Controlling for other traumas and childhood sexual abuse did not affect the association between bullying and psychotic symptoms, but reduced the significance of the association with diagnosis of probable psychosis. Bullying was most strongly associated with the presence of concurrent persecutory ideation and hallucinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bullying victimisation increases the risk of individual psychotic symptoms and of a diagnosis of probable psychosis. Early detection of bullying and use of treatments oriented towards its psychological consequences might ameliorate the course of psychosis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  None.
authors: Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy; Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: Gennaro
authors: G
authors: Catone
authors: Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
authors: Steven
authors: S
authors: Marwaha
authors: Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK; Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Beckenham, UK.
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Kuipers
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: Belinda
authors: B
authors: Lennox
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Freeman
authors: Division of Psychiatry Sciences Unit, University College London, London, UK.
authors: Paul
authors: P
authors: Bebbington
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK; Warneford Hospital, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK. Electronic address: matthew.broome@psych.ox.ac.uk.
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Broome
mesh_terms: D058445:Bullying / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors