New study suggests female bully victims more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol

By Staff Writer

A study by researchers from the University of Washington suggests that teen girls who are victims of bullying may be at a higher risk for substance abuse as a result of depression. The report, which is published in Prevention Science, surveyed 1,495 tenth grade students from across the country.

Jeremy Luk's study is the first to make a connection between substance abuse and bully victimization. He asked the students how often they felt sad, grouchy or hopeless, or whether they felt changes in appetite or sleeping pattern. The participants reported whether they had experienced any difficulty in concentrating during the past 30 days. Their optional responses were never, seldom, sometimes, often and always.

He also asked how often the students had smoked cigarettes, consumed alcohol or used marijuana within the same period. Response options were never, once or twice, and three to five times.

Luk's recommendation to parents of girls is to pay attention to victims of bullying in order to prevent potential depression or substance abuse. As for parents of boys, Luk said that depression may be an issue, but that there has been no association found between substance abuse and bullying.