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The impact of childhood bullying on the daily lives of Nordic children and young adolescents
Author(s) -
Krusell Magnus Kirketerp,
Hohwü Lena,
Bjereld Ylva,
Madsen Kathrine Bang,
Obel Carsten
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.14642
Subject(s) - medicine , mental health , socioeconomic status , odds ratio , odds , logistic regression , population , strengths and difficulties questionnaire , occupational safety and health , poison control , affect (linguistics) , injury prevention , cross sectional study , demography , psychiatry , environmental health , psychology , communication , pathology , sociology
Aim Childhood bullying may negatively affect the mental health in children and adolescents, but few studies have explored this potential link. We aimed to investigate the association between childhood bullying and the impact of poor mental health on the daily life in a population of Nordic children and adolescents aged 5–16 years. Methods This cross‐sectional study was based on data from the Nordic survey on Children's Health and Wellbeing (NordChild) from 2011. The study population included 4966 children from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Mental health was measured by a parent‐reported version of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. We conducted multiple logistic regression analyses to estimate the odds ratios of poor mental health in bullied compared to non‐bullied children and adolescents while adjusting for sex, age, body mass index and parental socioeconomic status. Results Bullied children and adolescents were four times more likely than their non‐bullied peers to have mental health problems with negative impact on their daily life at home, in their relations to friends, learning in school or leisure activities (adjusted odds ratio: 4.32; 95% CI : 3.54–5.26). Conclusion This study found negative impact on the mental health in bullied children and adolescents, which affected several arenas of daily life.