WHO | Prevention of bullying-related morbidity and mortality: a call for public health policies

WHO | Prevention of bullying-related morbidity and mortality: a call for public health policies
Bullying is a major public health problem that demands the concerted and coordinated time and attention of health-care providers, policy-makers and families. Evolving awareness about the morbidity and mortality associated with bullying has helped give this psychosocial hazard a modest level of worldwide public health attention.1–5 However, it is not enough.
Bullying is a multifaceted form of mistreatment, mostly seen in schools and the workplace. It is characterized by the repeated exposure of one person to physical and/or emotional aggression including teasing, name calling, mockery, threats, harassment, taunting, hazing, social exclusion or rumours.6,7 A wide range of bullying prevalence has been documented among students and in labour forces worldwide.5,8
A growing body of research is highlighting the range of significant morbidities affecting individuals involved in bullying whether as bystanders, bullies and/or victims. Students involved in bullying are at a significant risk of experiencing a wide spectrum of psychosomatic symptoms, running away from home, alcohol and drug abuse, absenteeism and, above all, self-inflicted, accidental or perpetrated injuries.1,2 The consequences of bullying extend into adulthood, as there is evidence of a significant association between childhood bullying behaviour and later psychiatric morbidity.3 Moreover, adults bullied in the workplace are prone to suffer from a variety of health risks, including depression and cardiovascular problems.4