Running Head: IMPACTS OF BULLYING ON CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT 1

The Impacts of Bullying on Child’s Development

Michael Celsi

University of Michigan
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The Impacts of Bullying on Child’s Development

Bullying in childhood is a major cause for concern and a health problem. Bullying is

aggressive behavior which results from an imbalance of power. The victims of bullying cannot

defend themselves for various reasons, such as a lack of psychological resilience or less physical

strength than the bully (Moore et al., 2017). It is noteworthy that bullying also happens in a

setting where the victims lack a say concerning the group they want to associate with. Children

perceived as different from others in terms of physical appearance face a greater risk of

experiencing bullying in schools. Several forms of bullying occur in schools today. These

include direct physical bullying, direct verbal, and indirect bullying. Also, another form of

bullying has emerged that happens online, and it is known as cyberbullying. In their 2021 study,

Armitage concluded that the impacts of bullying are felt by both the bullies and the bully-

victims, and those consequences affect the individual until adulthood. The consequences of

bullying can be categorized into three different groups. These include educational effects during

childhood, health impacts during childhood, and all effects when the child becomes an adult.

Therefore, bullying is detrimental since it increases the risk of poor socioeconomic outcomes,

leads to poor academic achievement, mediates substance abuse, is a predisposing factor to

mental health issues, leads to social pain, contributes to physical health consequences and also

impacts brain functions. 

Physical Health Consequences

Bullying is associated with short-term and long-term physical health consequences for

the victim. Some immediate impacts include physical injury, while the long-term impacts include

sleep disturbances, somatization and persistent headache. While bullying has a serious

detrimental consequence on mental health, the victims are also prone to various physical health
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issues (Armitage, 2021). It exposes the victims to increased susceptibility to digestive upset and

infections, leaving them vulnerable to ill health. Medical studies show that exposure to stress due

to bullying triggers various physical changes within the body. These series of changes are

referred to as fight-flight response, and they are designed to protect an individual from peril. The

brain recognizes the depressing situation and triggers the release of epinephrine from the

kidneys. This response is followed by the release of cortisol that raises the blood sugar preparing

one for muscle action, which in turn suppresses less important processes such as digestive and

immune functions. While such a process could be vital to protect us from danger, triggering it

frequently due to bullying cause physical effects on the victims. 

Bullying could trigger obesity among children and adolescents. Elevated levels of cortisol

produced due to stress increase fat storage and appetite. Bullies’ victims may also turn to food to

seek comfort (Hornor, 2018). In this case, children bullied at school may become overweight and

later become obese as they progress to adolescence or adulthood. The snowballing effect of these

conditions predisposes the individual to various chronic diseases. Alternatively, some people

lose their appetite when exposed to stress. Their bodies break down the muscles for energy,

contributing to muscle wasting and weight loss among victims of bullying. 

Bullied children may face a risk of heart disease when in their late adulthood. Stress due

to bullying adversely affects the heart’s health due to persistently elevated blood pressure and

increased inflammation. Besides, harassment could also encourage other unhealthy habits, such

as turning to drinking, smoking or high-sugar foods, which affects the blood vessels (Hornor,

2018). The combination of these conditions leads to the proliferation of heart diseases throughout

the victim's life. 

Social Pain
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Bullying in schools could cause social pain to the bullied children. Social pain is the

“feeling of pain that follows the experience of ostracism, peer rejection or loss” (Moore et al.,

2017). Most people describe being bullied as an experience of social pain. Studies indicate that

bullying causes social pain that triggers the region activated by physical pain in the brain. In

particular, the pain activates the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, which is affected by both social

and physical pain. The overlap of the neural system for physical and social pain explains why

people use physical pain metaphors when describing experiences of rejection or oppression. For

instance, a person can use a metaphor such as “It broke my heart when they insulted me” to

explain the pain of rejection. In a study investigating the effects of victimization on the functions

of the brain, Arslan, Allen and Tanhan (2021) found that the activation of social pain networks is

linked to internalizing symptoms. Notably, the study showed that the effect was more prevalent

among adolescents with a history of peer victimization. 

Impacts of Bullying on Brain Function

Psychologists suggest that bullied children experience behavioral change, while

neuroscience studies indicate that bullying could also lead to brain chemistry changes. Studies

examine how bullied children's brains respond to different triggers (Kaess, 2018). The results

indicated that bullying could significantly alter how an individual views the world. Albeit no

imaging studies have addressed this problem, a longitudinal study assessed the risk factors of

mental health issues. The study indicates that children who experienced bullying at 11 or 12 had

a decreased response to reward in their pre-frontal cortex at age 16 (Kaess, 2018). The medial

pre-frontal cortex, the brain region associated with learning and memory, is disrupted when

children are bullied. The disruption of the pre-frontal cortex also compromises an individual’s

ability to make decisions, monitor conflicts and interpret results. 

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In an fMRI study with 10-year-old children, a more extensive and greater brain activation

was recorded in the amygdala ventrolateral pre-frontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex among

children who experienced bullying compared to the control group (Kaess, 2018). The study was

consistent with the results from other brain imaging studies that show how bullying alters brain

functions. Stressful events associated with bullying may impact the brain circuits and interfere

with the structure of the amygdala and its functions. Bullying can increase the production of

stress hormones, heightening adolescents' sensitivity. 

Impact of Bullying on Academic Performance

Bullying has many impacts on students, with academic performance impact being one of

the effects. Some bullies might fight their subjects, call them names or even make them

experience hardships in school (Oliveira, de Menezes, Irffi & Oliveira, 2018). The saddening

part is that some parents do not understand that bullying could result in low academic grades.

Several research studies have profoundly shown that bullying may result in students performing

poorly in school as it reduces their concentration in class, leading to lower grades.

 A study by stopbullying.gov (a website managed by the department of human services

and health) shows that around 50% of school children, especially those in grades four up to 12,

potentially experience bullying from other students at any given month (Oliveira, de Menezes,

Irffi & Oliveira, 2018). The study also reveals that 70% of these students have admitted that they

experience bullying from their school. Such students indicate that they experience social and

verbal bullying such as teasing, name-calling, stealing of their belongings, spreading rumors,

physical violence and sexual comments. Although some people believe that little bullying could

be good for child development, the truth is that research shows that around 160000 school

students miss attending classes on some days due to fear of being bullied by their peers.
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Research also shows that around 280000 pupils are physically harassed out and inside of schools,

while others even end up dropping out of school (Oliveira, de Menezes, Irffi & Oliveira, 2018).

Bullying leads to issues that are even beyond the academic scope. It results in other health issues

that limit students’ participation in class, thus leading to low grades. Also, when students have

bullied, their concentration in class is altered as well as their study time which leads to low

academic performance. Research further shows that even bullies experience low grades as they

take more time on bad behaviors such as smoking, violent behavior, and stealing from their

counterparts. Students being bullied are likely to experience suicidal thoughts, depression, and

intense panic and take most of their time devising strategies to cope with such experiences

instead of being in class. This experience leads most of them to do poorly in academics

(Arseneault, 2017). The bad part is that spotting a bully is always a nightmare. Some could even

be students performing very well in class and know how to ingratiate themselves with teachers,

adults and administrators. However, certain steps could be taken to get rid of bullying in schools.

Some include increasing awareness through education, especially on bullying, making it easy for

students to report bullies, and developing policies to eliminate bullying.

Impact on Substance Abuse

Bullying can result in substance abuse for both perpetrators and victims. Research

suggests that around 30% of students (from grades 4 through 12) are addicted to substance abuse

(Hornor, 2018). This comes along with the issue of bullying, as some students cannot cope with

threats and intimidations from bullies and thus take drugs such as marijuana, narcotics and

alcohol to reduce the profound tension. On the other hand, Bullies abuse substances and

introduce new members into their gangs. Several research studies have shown a close

relationship between bullying and substance abuse. Although research is not always conclusive,
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while the issue of bullying does not always happen to all students, there is evidence showing that

some groups of students start abusing substances to forget the torture they go through. 

Young students will always seek help from their peers who might be, in one way or

another, non-rule governed. Engagement in these peer groups reinforces the student’s aggression,

and they are likely to engage in deviant behavior, including substance use, and proceed later to

taking multiple drugs. Alcohol and drug use could be a strategy to cope with bullying (Quinn &

Stewart, 2018). Sometimes bullies are likely to abuse substances to deal with mental health

problems. The victims are also likely to abuse drugs to self-medicate the anxiety and depression

they experience after bullying. Notably, studies show that substance use and aggressive behavior

go hand in hand, as intoxication solves the issue of peer rejection. Other studies indicate that the

risk factors for substance abuse and bully victimization overlap (Quinn & Stewart, 2018). Male

students are more frequently impacted by the issue of bullying than their female counterparts.

However, girls, too, are more likely to suffer from the negative effects of bullying, such as

substance abuse and depression, compared to boys. Several strategies can be used to mitigate the

issue of substance abuse among the victims and perpetrators. These may include educating all

students to make them understand the impacts of bullying and substance abuse. Also, coming up

with a culture that embraces all ethnicities and appreciates everyone’s culture despite their race,

religion or ethnicity. Other strategies include dealing with perpetrators effectively and

encouraging students to report bullies.

Predisposition to Mental Health Issues

There have been profound conversations regarding bullying and mental health issues.

When bullying is severe and repeatedly done, it leads to mental health issues for the victims. It

can also lead to emotional problems, physical injury and sometimes even death. The victims of
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bullying are more likely to experience low self-esteem, depression and anxiety. However, in rare

circumstances, victims are likely to fight back with sudden violence. Stopbullying.com, they

reported that between 10 and 15 students who shoot had initially been victims of bullying

(Arseneault, 2017). On the other hand, the perpetrators are at profound risk of being anti-social,

and other times have behaviors such as being violent, destroying property and engaging in fights.

Sometimes when bullying intensifies, the victims are likely to either drop out of school or have

issues with school. At this juncture, some of them are likely to take alcohol and abuse

substances. In some other instances, this can even escalate up to adulthood and carry it on to

their spouses, marriage partners, and children and/or engage in anti-social behaviors such as

crime. The rate of depression, anxiety and suicide is high among bully victims (Arslan, Allen &

Tanhan, 2021). On the other hand, bystanders may engage in two distinct groups: those who do

not bully and those who stop the act. Those who never bully could also be impacted in some way

because they wanted to stop the act but were unable. They, too, can experience depression and

anxiety, which could lead to low academic grades and sometimes even start abusing substances,

tobacco and alcohol (Kaess, 2018). Bullying can have lasting impacts on both the perpetrators

and victims, which could be a pathway to psychotic issues in their later life. Repeated episodes

of stress lead to anxiety and depression, which may have long last effects on the victims. 

Impacts on Emotional Dysregulation

Bullying in schools results in emotional dysregulation among the victims and perpetrators

alike. Emotional dysregulation can be termed as poorly managed emotions. In other words, it is a

poor response to emotion and may include mood fluctuations, anxiety and mood swings

(Armitage, 2021). Bullying, in some instances, contributes to emotional dysregulation such that

the victims and sometimes the perpetrators cannot control their moods. At other times, it may
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come with anxiety, high anger, shame, self-harm, extreme perfectionism, excessive substance

use, increased sexual behaviors and strained interpersonal relationships. Several scholarly

research studies show that bullying victims may sometimes experience a reduced ability to

manage their emotions. Therefore, they are unable to cope with emotions when provoked and

thus have to act impulsively. In a study carried out to observe the behaviors of grades 1 and 6

during winter, it was observed that there were two groups of students (Kaess, 2018). Some had

the orientation to problem-solving, and some were aggressive. The problem-solving ones would

be able to cope with difficult situations, while the aggressive ones were not able to and would

fight back and escalate the situation.

Poor Socioeconomic Status in Adulthood

Students who experience bullying in school tend to experience poor social and economic

status during adulthood, especially if the situation is not combated. One study revealed that

students who encounter physical and verbal bullying are at a much more profound risk of

depression that sometimes persists even in adulthood (Smokowski & Evans, 2019). Depressed

individuals are not likely to make good decisions on their career path and thus have a poor

socioeconomic status. Aso, bullying instils fear in the victims and, if not intervened, goes up to

adulthood. Such individuals may fear trying new things, such as venturing into business, for fear

that they may come to bad terms with the government or that some persons would harass them

(Bouchard & Smith, 2017). When this happens, they depend on their parents or people

concerned with them and eventually experience poor economic status. Most of these people are

not risk takers and will never borrow money from lending institutions due to fear of failing and

will thus not venture into businesses. All this ultimately results in lower incomes and poor

socioeconomic outcomes.
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Conclusion

Bullying is a major cause for concern in school since it increases the risk of poor mental

and physical health, causes low academic performance, impacts brain functions and leads to poor

socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. The problem of bullying has become a major topic for

academicians, policymakers and scholars due to its associated negative impacts on a child's

development. The most immediate and profound impact of bullying is a mental health issue

which impacts both the perpetrator and the victim. Children who experience this torture have

poor emotion regulation and anxiety and may fall into depression. Many people who engage in

violence, such as street fights or mass shootings, have been the victims of bullying. Therefore,

there is a need to address the issue by developing several antibullying interventions, such as

policies and laws to curb this pressing problem. 

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References

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Arseneault, L. (2017). The long‐term impact of bullying victimization on mental health. World

Psychiatry, 16(1), 27.

Arslan, G., Allen, K. A., & Tanhan, A. (2021). School bullying, mental health, and well-being in

adolescents: Mediating impact of positive psychological orientations. Child Indicators

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Bouchard, K. L., & Smith, J. D. (2017, January). Teacher-student relationship quality and

children's bullying experiences with peers: Reflecting on the mesosystem. In The

Educational Forum (Vol. 81, No. 1, pp. 108-125). Routledge.

Hornor, G. (2018). Bullying: What the PNP needs to know. Journal of Pediatric Health

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Kaess, M. (2018). Bullying: peer-to-peer maltreatment with severe consequences for the child

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Moore, S. E., Norman, R. E., Suetani, S., Thomas, H. J., Sly, P. D., & Scott, J. G. (2017).

Consequences of bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence: A systematic

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Oliveira, F. R., de Menezes, T. A., Irffi, G., & Oliveira, G. R. (2018). Bullying effect on

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Quinn, S. T., & Stewart, M. C. (2018). Examining the long-term consequences of bullying on

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Smokowski, P. R., & Evans, C. B. (2019). Consequences of bullying in childhood, adolescence,

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