How Childhood Bullying Translates Into Adulthood: Its Detrimental And Positive Effects

It's no doubt that bullying can significantly impact a child's mental health and well-being. Past studies found that children who were bullied tend to skip school, have trouble eating and sleeping and suffer from depression or psychosis, self-harm and even have suicidal thoughts.

These kinds of psychological issues don't just go away as a child grows up. It is more likely that children will carry these experiences when they become adults, translating into more profound and long-lasting psychological damages.

Ellen Walser deLara, a family therapist and professor of social work at Syracuse University, said many adults suffer from adult post-bullying syndrome, or APBS. The condition can lead to self-esteem and trust issues, people-pleasing attitudes, substance abuse, anger, anxiety and relationship problems, Slate reported.

The Positive Effects Of Bullying

But bullying doesn't necessarily equate to mental health problems and personality issues. DeLara interviewed adults who were bullied as a child and found that 47 percent of them acquired something positive from the experience. Participants said they developed inner strength and self-reliance, while others led a purposeful life and became more emphatic to other people.

People who have an "inborn sense of optimism" tend to recover quickly from bullying and view themselves as lucky for leaving the bad experiences behind, Slate noted. Dr. Helene Guldberg, a professor in developmental psychology at the Open University, said in an op-ed for Daily Mail that bullying can give children "some of life's most valuable lessons."

Guldberg argued that childhood bullying teaches kids how to navigate uncomfortable situations by relying on themselves. She added that bullying shows the complexities of friendships and relationships and that you wouldn't get along with everyone you meet. By steering children away from confrontations and spats, they wouldn't learn how to properly deal with difficult social situations.

These positive effects, however, shouldn't serve as an excuse for bullying. There are times when the negative effects of bullying outweigh the positives and when this happens, deLara recommends victims to undergo family and cognitive behavioral therapies.

Bullies Are Also Affected

Around one in three students in the United States suffer from bullying at school. Bullying comes in many forms like exclusion, name-calling, rumors and physical harm. Bullies target isolated loners, social rivals and sometimes, their own friends.

Children who bully others can also suffer from negative mental health. Kids who bully are more likely to have substance abuse problems in adolescence and adulthood, engage in early sexual relations, have criminal convictions and citations, dropping out of school and getting into fights. In addition, they have higher chances of being abusive toward their romantic partners, spouses or children as adults, StopBullying.gov wrote.