Interpersonal distrust from childhood bullying is associated with mental health problems in adolescents

A new study, led by UCLA Health and the University of Glasgow, has found that young teenagers who develop a strong distrust of others as a result of childhood bullying are much more likely to have significant mental health problems as they enter adulthood compared to those who do not develop interpersonal trust issues.

The study, published in the journal Nature Mental Health on February 13, is believed to be the first to examine the relationship between peer bullying, interpersonal distrust, and the subsequent development of mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and anger.

The researchers used data from 10,000 children in the UK studied over almost two decades as part of the Millennium Cohort Study. From this data, the researchers found that adolescents who were bullied at age 11 and in turn developed greater interpersonal distrust by age 14 were about 3.5 times more likely to experience clinically significant mental health problems at age 17 compared to those who developed less distrust.

The findings could help schools and other institutions develop new evidence-based interventions to address the negative mental health effects of bullying, according to the study’s senior author, Dr. George Slavich, who directs UCLA Health’s Stress Assessment and Research Laboratory.

There are few public health issues more important than the mental health of young people right now. In order to help adolescents reach their full potential, we need to invest in research that identifies risk factors for poor health and that translates this knowledge into prevention programs that can improve lifelong health and resilience.”

Dr. George Slavich, senior author of the study

The findings come amid growing public health concerns about young people’s mental health. Recent studies from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 44.2% of US high school students reported depression for at least two weeks in 2021, with one in 10 students surveyed reporting a suicide attempt that year.

In this new study, researchers examined these troubling trends from the perspective of Social Security Theory, which posits that social threats, such as bullying, affect mental health in part by instilling the belief that other people cannot be trusted. or that the world is an unfriendly, dangerous or unpredictable place.

Previous research has identified associations between bullying and mental and behavioral health problems among young people, including its impact on substance abuse, depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. However, following youth over time, this study is the first to confirm the suspected pathway of how bullying leads to distrust and, in turn, mental health problems in late adolescence.

Slavich said that when people develop clinically significant mental health problems during adolescence, they may be at increased risk of experiencing mental and physical health problems throughout their lives if left untreated.

In addition to interpersonal distrust, the authors examined whether diet, sleep, or physical activity also linked peer bullying to subsequent mental health problems. However, only interpersonal distrust was found to associate bullying with a greater risk of experiencing mental health problems at age 17.

“What these data suggest is that we really need school-based programs that help foster a sense of interpersonal trust at the classroom and school level,” Slavich said. “One way to do this would be to develop evidence-based programs that specifically focus on the transition to high school and college, and that frame school as an opportunity to develop close, long-term relationships.”

The study was co-authored by Drs. George Slavich, Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA, and Dr. Dimitris Tsomoko, a researcher at the University of Glasgow.