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pediatric-behavioral

The Long-Term Effects of Bullying on Children

Bullying can raise a child's risk of depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and lower school achievement, sometimes into adulthood. Stopping it early and supporting the child protects long-term wellbeing.

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Dr. Naomi Feldman, PsyD — Child Psychologist (PsyD)

Screening for depression and anxiety after bullying, CBT for worry and avoidance, and coordinating school supports and a safe return to class. Gale can match you with a licensed clinician for a visit.

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What the evidence shows

Bullying, which involves a power imbalance and repetition over time, is linked to real and sometimes lasting harm. Children who are bullied are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, and lower academic achievement, and these effects can persist into adulthood for some children 1. Bullying affects not only the child who is targeted but also children who bully and those who witness it. Cyberbullying carries similar risks and can feel inescapable because it follows a child home through their devices 2.

How those effects can unfold

Repeated bullying is a chronic stressor, and chronic stress in childhood can shape mental and physical health over the long run, especially without buffering support 3. Practically, that can look like a child who becomes more anxious or withdrawn, sleeps poorly, loses interest in activities, or starts avoiding school. School avoidance itself can snowball: missing class harms learning and friendships, which deepens distress, which makes returning harder. The encouraging part is that this chain is interruptible at many points, and the earlier the support arrives, the easier it is to break.

What protects children

Outcomes are not fixed. The strongest buffer against the lasting effects of adversity is safe, stable, nurturing relationships, with caregivers, with other trusted adults, and with peers 4. Stopping the bullying matters most. At home, you protect your child by listening without blame, keeping routines steady, naming feelings, and making clear that the bullying is not their fault. These ordinary, dependable supports do real biological work, helping a stressed system settle.

Warning signs to watch for

Watch for changes that persist or deepen: ongoing sadness or irritability, anxiety, new sleep or appetite problems, falling grades, pulling away from friends, unexplained physical complaints, or reluctance to go to school. Any talk of self-harm, hopelessness, or not wanting to be alive is a reason to seek help right away. The threshold for checking in with a professional should be low; you are not overreacting by asking, and early help tends to mean shorter, easier recovery.

When a clinician helps

A pediatrician or behavioral-health clinician helps when the effects of bullying linger past the bullying itself. A clinician can screen for depression and anxiety with validated tools, rule out other medical causes of changes in mood, sleep, or energy, and tell whether what you are seeing is a normal stress response or something that needs treatment 1. When treatment is indicated, evidence-based care such as cognitive behavioral therapy is well supported for childhood anxiety and can directly address the worry, avoidance, and negative self-beliefs bullying often leaves behind 5. A clinician can also coordinate with the school on supports and a safe return to class, and guide you on rebuilding the steady relationships that buffer stress. Getting help early is one of the clearest ways to keep a hard chapter from becoming a long-term effect.

Common questions

Do children always carry the effects of bullying into adulthood?

No. Increased risk is not destiny. Many children recover fully, especially when the bullying stops and they have supportive relationships and timely help. Lasting effects are most likely when bullying is severe, prolonged, and unsupported.

Can cyberbullying cause the same harm as in-person bullying?

Yes. Cyberbullying is associated with similar risks and can feel constant because it follows a child through their devices. It is worth taking seriously and addressing alongside any in-person bullying.

How do I know if my child needs a professional, not just time?

If changes in mood, sleep, school, or friendships last more than a couple of weeks or are worsening, check in with a clinician. Any mention of self-harm or hopelessness means seeking help right away.

Talk to a clinician

Dr. Naomi Feldman, PsyD — Child Psychologist (PsyD)

Screening for depression and anxiety after bullying, CBT for worry and avoidance, and coordinating school supports and a safe return to class. Gale can match you with a licensed clinician for a visit.

Find care →

When to seek help promptly

  • —Persistent sadness, anxiety, or irritability lasting more than two weeks
  • —New sleep, appetite, or concentration problems, or a clear drop in grades
  • —Withdrawing from friends and activities, or refusing to go to school
  • —Any talk of self-harm, hopelessness, or not wanting to be alive

If your child talks about suicide or self-harm or is in immediate danger, call 911 or call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline); you can also text HOME to 741741.

This article is general education, not a diagnosis or a substitute for care from your child's pediatrician or a qualified clinician.

References

  1. 1.U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (StopBullying.gov) (2024). Effects of Bullying (Long-Term Effects). StopBullying.gov (HHS). link ✓Children who are bullied are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, sleep difficulties, and lower academic achievement, with effects that can persist into adulthood.
  2. 2.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). About Bullying (Youth Violence Prevention). CDC. link ✓Cyberbullying is a form of youth violence associated with harms similar to in-person bullying.
  3. 3.Shonkoff JP, Garner AS; Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health; Committee on Early Childhood, Adoption, and Dependent Care; Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (American Academy of Pediatrics) (2012). The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress. Pediatrics, 129(1):e232-e246. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-2663 ✓Chronic (toxic) stress in childhood can become biologically embedded and shape lifelong health without buffering support.
  4. 4.Garner A, Yogman M; Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Council on Early Childhood (American Academy of Pediatrics) (2021). Preventing Childhood Toxic Stress: Partnering With Families and Communities to Promote Relational Health. Pediatrics, 148(2):e2021052582. doi:10.1542/peds.2021-052582 ✓Safe, stable, nurturing relationships buffer adversity and build resilience.
  5. 5.Kendall PC, Hudson JL, Gosch E, Flannery-Schroeder E, Suveg C (2008). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disordered youth: a randomized clinical trial evaluating child and family modalities. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.76.2.282 ✓Cognitive behavioral therapy is an empirically supported treatment for childhood anxiety.

5 sources, numbered by first appearance. General health information, not medical advice — synthetic demonstration content.