Bullying often leads to mental health problems: stats office study

Bullying often has a significant impact on the victim. A large survey by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) showed that 60 percent of people who have been bullied experienced emotional or psychological problems. Among people bullied both online and in the “real” world, the proportion is even higher at three-quarters.

The consequences range from having less trust in others (57 percent) to depression (27 percent). One in twenty victims of bullying said they sustained physical injuries.

The poll of 173,000 people also confirmed once again that people with diverse sexualities and genders are bullied much more often than straight people. Of the gay men surveyed, 5 percent said they had been bullied in the past year. Of the bisexual women who participated in the survey, 5.4 percent experienced bullying, as did 3.9 percent of bisexual men and 2.6 percent of lesbian women.

Heterosexual people are far less likely to suffer from bullying. 1.3 percent of heterosexual men experienced bullying in the last 12 months, and 1.5 percent of straight women.

About one in five victims said they suffered from anxiety and/or panic attacks due to the bullying. Women have these kinds of complaints more often than men. A quarter of respondents said they had trouble sleeping as a result of bullying.

CBS conducted the study among Netherlands residents aged 15 years and older. The youngest group was bullied the most, especially by fellow schoolchildren and students. Older people aged 65 and older are often bullied by a neighbor.

“Bullying is a persistent phenomenon that occurs widely in society,” said CBS. The researchers understand bullying as annoying comments, exclusion, harassment, mocking, and forms of aggression. According to the researchers, bullying in the physical world has more consequences for the victims than online bullying. A combination of both is usually the most serious.