Bullying reduces quality of life for both children and parents

The findings by Dr Long Le, an Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Fellow in Deakin Health Economics, reveals that the harm experienced by parents of children involved in bullying is equivalent to the harm experience of a mild substance abuse disorder.

Dr Le said this was the first research to highlight the difficulties experienced by parents in their everyday life when their children were either victims or perpetrators of bullying.

"This really shows the widespread impacts of bullying and the need to prioritise bullying reduction programs to minimise harm to children and their families," Dr Le said.

"The research found nearly one in five children aged between eight and 10 reported they were either a victim or perpetrator of bullying at school so any reduction in bullying will have widespread benefits beyond just the child."

For the study, researchers asked children to self-report quality of life through nine dimensions including worried, sad, pain, tired, annoyed, schoolwork, sleep, daily routine, and ability to join in activities.

"We found there was a dose–response relationship. That is, the more continuously the children reported being a victim or perpetrator of bullying, the greater the loss of quality of life," Dr Le said.

"Children who reported being involved in bullying every year for three years had three times the quality-of-life impairment compared to those who reported involvement in bullying for only one year."

Director of Deakin Health Economics, Professor Cathy Mihalopoulos, said it was significant that parents of children involved in bullying also reported lower levels of quality of life.

"We measured the parents' quality of life across eight physical and mental health indicators including happiness, mental health, relationships and pain," Professor Mihalopoulos said.

"This showed us the impact for parents who had children involved in bullying were across a number of those quality-of-life domains, including reductions in happiness, mental health and relationships," Professor Mihalopoulos said.

"Parents together with schools, the community, and media are important partners in any interventions or initiatives to reduce the harm associated with bullying.

"Parents can teach children social skills and ways to deal with the bullying and schools should be encouraged to provide evidence-based bullying reduction programs.

"An example of preventive intervention is the Friendly Schools program which builds children’s social competence and relationships by establishing a whole-of-school program that discourages bullying.

"Previous research funded by the National Mental Health Commission found the Friendly Schools program is likely to save more resources than it costs in addition to producing positive health gains," Professor Mihalopoulos said.

These studies have been published in the European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and National Mental Health Commission website.