Bullying Could Help Bring on Headaches for Teens

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 3, 2023
• Full Page

So, your high schooler has been complaining of headaches. Should you worry?

Maybe, claims new research that finds bullying and suicidal thoughts are both linked to more frequent headaches in teens.

“Headaches are a common problem for teenagers, but our study look...

Nearly 1 in 5 Say Their Workplace Can Be Toxic, Poll Finds

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 13, 2023
• Full Page

About one-fifth of American workers say their workplace is toxic, and many say their mental health is harmed as a result.

The American Psychological Association (APA) questioned 2,515 employed adults in April for its annual Work in America Survey. Nineteen percent state...

Workplace Bullies May Help Produce Conspiracy Theorists: Study

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 31, 2022
• Full Page

Conspiracy theories have abounded during the COVID-19 pandemic and in American politics in recent years.

Now, researchers overseas say they have identified a link between being bullied in the workplace and developing conspiracy theories, which they define as "explanation...

'Digital Self-Harm': When Teens Cyberbully Themselves

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• September 2, 2022
• Full Page

Up to 9% of American teens say they've engaged in what's known as "digital self-harm" -- anonymously posting negative comments about themselves on social media.

As is the case with acts of physical self-harm such as cutting, this "virtual" self-harm is associated with a ...

The Most Common Form of Bullying Isn't Physical or Verbal

• By Sydney Murphy HealthDay Reporter
• August 30, 2022
• Full Page

The most widespread form of bullying isn't physical acts like pushing or kicking, nor is it verbal threats or derogatory remarks. Far and away bullies' top tactic is social exclusion.

Also known as "relational aggression," this involves shutting out peers from group acti...

More Cyberbullying, More Suicidal Thoughts Among Teens: Study

• By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• June 28, 2022
• Full Page

Adolescents who experience cyberbullying are more likely to think about suicide, a new study shows.

Researchers found a link between being bullied online, through texts or on social media...

Youth Suicide Attempts Drop in U.S. States With Hate Crime Laws

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• June 23, 2022
• Full Page

Hate crime laws that protect gay, lesbian and transgender people may have an unexpected benefit: fewer teen suicide attempts, among kids of all sexual orientations.

That's the conclusion of a new study that looked at what happened in U.S. states that enacted hate crime l...

Another Benefit to Asthma Control for Kids: Less Bullying

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• December 8, 2021
• Full Page

Kids can be cruel, and bullies often zero in on kids they view as weak or different, including those with asthma.

One in 10 children with asthma say they have been bullied or teased as a result of their condition, but tight asthma control seems to keep bullying at bay, <...

Death Threats, Trolling Common for Scientists Who Speak to Media About COVID

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 14, 2021
• Full Page

Doctors who discuss COVID-19 in the media frequently face abuse and harassment, including threats of death or violence, a new report reveals.

More than two-thirds of experts surveyed have experienced trolling or personal attacks after speaking about COVID-19 in media int...

Kids With Food Allergies Are Often Targets for Bullies

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• October 7, 2021
• Full Page

Life is challenging enough for teens and pre-teens with food allergies. But bullying often comes with the territory, making their situation worse.

In a new study of more than 100 kids with food allergies, nearly one-third said they had been subject to some form of ...

Sibling Bullying Carries Long-Term Mental Health Costs

• Cara Murez
• October 1, 2021
• Full Page

Bullying by a brother or sister in childhood can have lasting effects, threatening mental health in the teen years, new British research suggests.

Researchers found that mental health was affected whether one was the bully or the victim.

"Of particular note was the...

Who's Most Likely to Get Bullied at School?

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 27, 2021
• Full Page

Bullying remains a threat to American teens, and a new study reveals which kids may be at highest risk.

Race-based bullying takes a heavy toll on teens, the research found, but minority kids who are picked on for other reasons -- whether gender, sexual orientation, relig...

When It Comes to Bullying of LGBTQ Teens, Local Politics Matters

• Cara Murez
• July 22, 2021
• Full Page

Youth who identify as LGBTQ+ suffer more bullying at their schools when they live in areas with politically conservative voting records, a new study finds.

School boards should do more to implement policies that go beyond minimum protections for LGBTQ+ youth, regardless...

Teasing People About Weight Can Help Bring on Eating Disorders

• Robert Preidt
• June 14, 2021
• Full Page

What can make a young person vulnerable to eating disorders? Teasing them about any extra pounds they may carry, researchers say.

"Our findings add to the growing evidence that weight-based mistreatment is not helpful and is often harmful to the health of young people," ...

Narcissist's 'Thin Skin' Can Easily Lead to Aggression

• Robert Preidt
• May 27, 2021
• Full Page

Angry outbursts at the office, threats made in everyday interactions: New research using data from hundreds of studies suggests folks who act out in this way often have narcissistic traits.

They don't even have to rate high in narcissism to be prone to aggressive behavio...

Bullying, Violence Common for Gender-Diverse Youth

• Steven Reinberg
• May 17, 2021
• Full Page

Gender-diverse youths are three times more likely to be bullied and victimized than those who identify as male or female, a new study of more than 4,400 teens has found.

"Transgender youths reported the highest rates of all forms of peer victimization, which were double ...

Being Bullied Often Leads Teens to Thoughts of Violence

• Robert Preidt
• April 28, 2021
• Full Page

Bullied and mistreated teens are much more likely to fantasize about hurting or killing others, a new study warns.

"One way to think about fantasies is as our brain rehearsing future scenarios," said lead author Manuel Eisner, director of the University of Cambridge Viol...

Boys Who Spend Lots of Time Online More Likely to Cyberbully

• Cara Murez
• April 1, 2021
• Full Page

Here's yet another reason to keep your teenager from spending countless hours online and on popular social media: New research suggests it increases cyberbullying, particularly among teen boys.

"There are some people who engage in cyberbullying online because of the anon...

Child Bullies at Higher Odds for Substance Abuse as Adults: Study

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• February 17, 2021
• Full Page

Schoolyard bullies have been making life difficult for kids for eons, often causing lasting damage to their victims. Now, new research shows these bullies can also suffer lasting consequences as they age.

Bullies may be more likely to abuse drugs, alcohol and tobacc...

Kids With Food Allergies Can Become Targets for Bullies

• Serena Gordon
• November 13, 2020
• Full Page

As if having food allergies isn't hard enough on a child, new research shows that almost 1 in 5 of these kids are bullied.

The bullying didn't stop at the schoolyard. A similar percentage of parents said they had been teased about their concern for their child's food all...

Cyberbullying Could Rise During Lockdown, But Parents Can Stop It

• Robert Preidt
• September 2, 2020
• Full Page

Cyberbullying is less common among teens who feel loved and supported by their parents, new research shows.

The findings could be especially relevant during the coronavirus pandemic, say a team from New York University.

"With remote learning replacing class...

Cyberbullies and Their Victims Can Both Develop PTSD

• Steven Reinberg
• June 24, 2020
• Full Page

Both cyberbullies and their victims can suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new British study finds.

Cyberbullying is bullying online rather than in person. It's so pervasive that pediatricians should routinely ask their patients about i...

Biggest Hurdle for Young Burn Survivors Is Acceptance

• Robert Preidt
• June 1, 2020
• Full Page

The way they're treated by other people can cause young burn survivors more distress than their physical challenges, two surveys find.

In one, researchers asked 64 burn survivors between 17 and 25 years of age what they found hardest to deal with. The seven most comm...

Too Often, Bullying Has Lethal Consequences for LGBT Teens

• Alan Mozes
• May 26, 2020
• Full Page

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ) youth who die by suicide are five times more likely to have been bullied than their straight counterparts.

The finding stems from a review of nearly 10,000 U.S. death records for 2003 to 2017. All of the youth were...

Being Bullied About Weight May Raise Risk of Drug Use

• Robert Preidt
• March 3, 2020
• Full Page

Teens who are bullied about their weight are at increased risk for alcohol or marijuana use -- and this is especially true for girls, a new study suggests.

Researchers surveyed more than 1,300 students at five public middle schools in Connecticut. The students were a...

Texting Trauma: Many Teens Suffer 'Digital Dating Abuse'

• Amy Norton
• February 19, 2020
• Full Page

Many U.S. teenagers may be using their smartphones to harass, humiliate or otherwise abuse their dating partners.

That's according to a recent national survey of teens who'd been in a romantic relationship in the past year. Researchers found that 28% had been vic...

Fewer LGBT Teens Plagued by Suicidal Thoughts, But Rates Still High

• Amy Norton
• February 10, 2020
• Full Page

Suicidal behavior is declining among U.S. teenagers who identify as LGBT, but the problem remains pervasive.

That's the conclusion of two new studies that tracked trends among U.S. teenagers over the past couple of decades. Over the years, more kids have been identif...

Online Bullies Make Teen Depression, PTSD Even Worse: Survey

• Kayla McKiski
• February 4, 2020
• Full Page

Cyberbullying can worsen symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in young people, new research shows.

That's the conclusion of a recent survey of 50 teens who were inpatients at a suburban psychiatric hospital near New York City. Researchers reporte...

Bullying's 'Vicious Circle' Harms Mental Health

• Robert Preidt
• December 10, 2019
• Full Page

Bullied teens are more likely to develop mental health problems, and people with mental health problems are also more likely to become bullies, researchers report.

Even though many studies have shown that being bullied can leave mental scars, "no studies to date" hav...

Adult Support Can Make the Difference for Boys From Tough Neighborhoods

• Robert Preidt
• September 13, 2019
• Full Page

Strong adult social support can help prevent violence among teen boys growing up in poor neighborhoods, new research shows.

The study included nearly 900 boys in poor areas of Pittsburgh, aged 13 to 19, who took part in a sexual violence prevention trial.

Lots of Time on Social Media Linked to Anxiety, Depression in Teens

• Dennis Thompson
• September 11, 2019
• Full Page

Teens who spend more time with social media are more likely to suffer from social withdrawal, anxiety or depression, a new study says.

Twelve- to 15-year-olds who spent more than six hours a day on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media were nearly three t...

Parents Who Belittle Their Children May Be Raising Bullies

• Robert Preidt
• July 22, 2019
• Full Page

It's a vicious cycle: Teens who are belittled and demeaned by their parents are more likely to be bullied and to bully others, a new study suggests.

"Inappropriate interpersonal responses appear to spread from parents to children, where they spawn peer difficulties,"...

U.S. Youth Suicide Rate Reaches 20-Year High

• Dennis Thompson
• June 18, 2019
• Full Page

Suicide rates among teens and young adults have reached their highest point in nearly two decades, a new study reports.

Suicides among teens have especially spiked, with an annual percentage change of 10% between 2014 and 2017 for 15- to 19-year-olds, researchers s...

Teasing Kids About Weight Linked to More Weight Gain

• Serena Gordon
• May 30, 2019
• Full Page

New research illustrates a heartbreaking, vicious cycle: Teasing kids about their weight not only bruises their self-esteem, it also appears to trigger more weight gain.

In fact, middle schoolers who reported high levels of weight-related teasing had a 33% higher...

Political Controversies Could Fuel Bullying of LGBT Youth: Study

• Robert Preidt
• May 13, 2019
• Full Page

Heated political debate about the rights of marginalized groups might trigger increases in bullying, a new study says.

It found that homophobic bullying at California schools peaked before a statewide referendum to ban gay marriage (Proposition 8), but declined afte...

School Bullying's Impact Can Last a Lifetime: Study

• Alan Mozes
• April 26, 2019
• Full Page

Being bullied as a youngster may lead to lifelong struggles in adulthood.

New research warns that victims of teenage bullying face a 40% greater risk for mental health problems by the time they hit their mid-20s.

Young adults with a history of adolesce...

How to Help Your Kids Achieve a Healthy Weight

• Robert Preidt
• March 21, 2019
• Full Page

Obesity can lead to physical, social and emotional struggles for kids, so parents need to help their children maintain a healthy weight, experts say.

"Children with obesity are more likely than their classmates to be teased or bullied and to suffer from low self-este...

How to Keep Your Kids Safe From Cyberbullying

• Len Canter
• March 15, 2019
• Full Page

No type of bullying is acceptable, but cyberbullying can be harder for parents to spot because it takes place via cellphone, computer or tablet, often through social media.

Cyberbullying can be a hateful text message or post of embarrassing pictures, videos and even ...

Does Bullying Start at Home?

• Robert Preidt
• February 14, 2019
• Full Page

If you think that sibling rivalry can border on brutality at times, you won't be surprised by new research from British scientists.

They found that children are more likely to be bullied by a sibling if they have more than one, and firstborn children and older brothe...

How to Help Your Teen Use Social Media Safely

• Robert Preidt
• February 13, 2019
• Full Page

Social media is now a key part of American youngsters' lives, so parents need to provide guidance and rules to help them enjoy its benefits and protect them from potential dangers, experts say.

Social media can help kids connect and find others who share their intere...

Movie Violence Doesn't Make Kids Violent, Study Finds

• Steven Reinberg
• January 18, 2019
• Full Page

Parents often worry that violent movies can trigger violence in their kids, but a new study suggests PG-13-rated movies won't turn your kids into criminals.

Researchers found that as PG-13 movies became more violent between 1985 and 2015, overall rates of murder and ...