Bullying and Pain in School-Aged Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Bullying is defined as repeated and unwanted aggressive behavior involving a power imbalance and hurt children and adolescents’ socioemotional functioning. The aim is to investigate associations between pain (headache, stomach pain, backache, and neck/shoulder pain) and bullying among school-aged children and adolescents. This cross-sectional school-based survey comes from the Icelandic data set in the international research network Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children. The study population included all Icelandic students in Grades 6, 8, and 10 (ages 11, 13, and 15 years, respectively; participation rate, 84%; n = 10,626). An anonymous standardized questionnaire was distributed and completed by students in their classrooms. About every 8 in 10 bullied students reported weekly pain (79%), compared with little over half of nonbullied students (57%). The prevalence of pain was significantly higher among bullied students compared with their nonbullied peers. Being a bullying victim was associated with an increased frequency of experiencing headaches, stomachaches, and back pain, in addition to neck or shoulder pain. It is important for mental health nurses and health professionals to ask about pain when meeting with children and adolescents as well as to inquire about their peer relationships.