the long arm of the bully. aggression affects the health of the victims years later, but the savings tormentors.
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The intimidation cast a shadow. Children who are bullied are more prone to depression and suicidal tendencies, even when they grow up; they are also more likely to get sick and have headaches and stomach aches, the researchers found. A new study may have found the underlying cause: A specific indicator of disease, called C-reactive protein (CRP), is higher than normal among bullied, even when they get older. However, the bullies, the same size, appear to be healthier.
The researchers focused on the CRP because it is a common marker of inflammation easily tested, the runaway immune system activity which is a characteristic of many chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease , diabetes, chronic pain and depression, says lead author William Copeland, a psychologist and epidemiologist at the medical Center of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
to link inflammation to bullying, the researchers asked 1420 young people between the ages of 9 and 16 if, and how many times they had been bullied or have bullied others . Interviewers asked participants whether they felt teased, bullied or treated miserably by siblings, friends and peers than other children and if they had upset or hurt others on purpose, tried to get others in trouble, or people to do something forced by threatening or hurting them. The researchers took blood tests finger stick for each evaluation. The interviews were held annually until the participants were 16 and again when they were 19 and 21. The children were interviewed participants in the larger study Great Smoky Mountains, where some 12,000 children NC were evaluated to monitor the development of psychiatric conditions.
short term, the effect of bullying on victims was immediate. CRP levels increased and the number of cases of intimidation reported, and more than doubled in those who said they had been bullied three or more times in the previous year, compared to children who had never been bullied. No changes were seen in the bullies, or in children who had not been involved in bullying in one form or another, the researchers report online today in the Proceedings of the national Academy of sciences .
the revelation, Copeland said, was the change of CRP in the 19- and 21. The levels of protein increased over time in all groups, which is normal. But the increase was greater in bullying victims: Even 10 years later, average CRP levels were even higher (more than 1.5 mg / L) than in those who had never been bullied ( about 1 mg / L). In bullies, levels were about 0.5 mg / L, a little less than half of the victims. The differences in CRP between bullies and victims remained even when the researchers accounted for potential confounding factors, such as mental disorders, substance abuse and other forms of stress.
high CRP can be a specific way that childhood stress leads to health problems down the road, the researchers conclude. Adults who were abused as children also show increased inflammation, as measured by CRP levels in some studies.
Despite the implied health benefits of intimidation, Copeland does not advocate picking on people to improve your health. The advantage probably lies not in the attack itself, but rather in the more control, power and social status that bullies like, he believes.
The advantages of bullying are daunting but not surprising, said biological anthropologist Thomas McDade of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The increase slower than normal CRP in bullies supports a growing mound of research showing that those at the top have better, he said.
A key strength of the new study, McDade said, is that it focuses on a specific measure, checked repeatedly over time. "CRP is clearly one way in which the social environment can get under his skin" -affecting health for better or worse, he said.
Because inflammation is an underlying factor in many chronic diseases, the fact that people in their early 20s already show signs of inflammation is an alarm bell, Copeland adds . Using data from the larger study, his team will examine other measures of adversity, such as cortisol, the stress hormone, and epigenetic changes in which environmental factors affect how genes are turned on . Scientists will also look for biomarkers to more positive methods as intimidation through which children can increase their confidence and social status.
Ideally fight against bullying programs, in addition to protect potential victims, should help the most aggressive children find ways to improve their social status "without wreaking havoc on others" said Copeland.
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