Bullying in childhood may do more than just emotionally and physically harm your child. A new study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry suggests that childhood bullying in elementary school may increase a child’s risk of developing Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
In a study of 6,050 mothers and their children, researchers found that children who were bullied when they were 8 and 10 years old had a higher risk of developing symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder. This was true no matter what type of bullying the children experienced.
The study took into consideration other factors that contribute to Borderline Personality Disorder, including parental hostility and sexual abuse. While these factors are relevant to a diagnosis of BPD, researchers report the relationship between childhood bullying and BPD holds despite the presence of other factors.
When childhood bullying was chronic, meaning it occurred when a child was 8 and 10, the risk for developing Borderline Personality Disorder was five times higher than in children who weren’t bullied. Children who experienced both physical and psychological bullying were more than seven times as likely to develop BPD symptoms.
For the full study, published in the August 2012 issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, click here.