Study Finds Bullies May Get Health Benefit From Bullying Others

Posted on May 19, 2014

A new study by Duke University has found that bullies appear to get a health benefit from their cruel deeds. The study followed 1,420 children ages 9 to 21 starting in 1993. The study followed these individuals for more than 20 years. Using blood samples, the researchers measured C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of low-grade inflammation and a risk factor for health problems, including metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

Three groups of participants were analyzed: victims of bullying, those who were both bullies and victims, and those who were purely bullies. The study found victims of childhood bullying had much higher CRP levels as adults while bullies had the lowest CRP. Young adults who had been both bullies and victims as children had CRP levels similar to those not involved in bullying.

The researchers say in the release, "Thus, being a bully and enhancing one's social status through this interaction may protect against increases in the inflammatory marker. While bullying is more common and perceived as less harmful than childhood abuse or maltreatment, the findings suggest that bullying can disrupt levels of inflammation into adulthood, similar to what is seen in other forms of childhood trauma."

William E. Copeland, Ph.D., associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine and the study's lead author, says in a statement, "Our findings look at the biological consequences of bullying, and by studying a marker of inflammation, provide a potential mechanism for how this social interaction can affect later health functioning."

Take a look:

A research paper on the study, "Childhood bullying involvement predicts low-grade systemic inflammation into adulthood," can be found here on PNAS.

HEALTH