Witnesses to Bullying May Face Mental Health Risks

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091214121449.htm

ScienceDaily (Dec. 15, 2009) — Students who watch as their peers endure the verbal or physical abuses of another student could become as psychologically distressed, if not more so, by the events than the victims themselves, new research suggests.

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Students who witnessed acts of bullying were more likely to report greater psychological distress than those students who were bullies or victims, according to the results. This was the case even for students who had not been victims themselves, although being both a witness and a victim did also significantly predict mental health problems.

"It is possible that those students who had been victimized at different times may be experiencing it all over again psychologically," said Rivers. "Meanwhile, those who are witnesses may worry that they, too, will be the bully's target sometime in the future and that causes great distress and anxiety."

Previous research has shown that students who witness acts of bullying, but are not directly involved, feel guilty for not interceding on the victim's behalf, which may help explain the higher levels of mental distress.

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