Bullying and Substance Abuse
Submitted by Ally
- 2 November 2016
New research investigates the complex relationship between bullying and substance use among adolescents. The study, published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, identifies a number of processes involved with bullying that take into account not only the victims of aggressive behaviour, but also the perpetrators and followers. It found that pro-bullying behaviours were more commonly associated with increased tobacco and alcohol consumption. Defender behaviour was reported to be linked to high tobacco and alcohol-related harm. The study failed, however, to establish a strong relationship between victimization and substance use.