Examining the etiology of serious mental illness among youth: When and for whom does peer victimization matter?

Compared to other wealthy nations, Canada ranks near the bottom when it comes to youth mental health. There has been a 66% increase in pediatric emergency department visits for mental health concerns, with 77% of these youth reporting that they have been bullied by their peers. While the risks associated with being bullied are well established, little research has examined if bullying contributes to the development of serious mental health concerns over and above other risk factors, like child maltreatment. Moreover, the impacts of being bullied are not equal. It is necessary to consider when and for whom the experience of being bullied matters for long term mental health. The proposed research will examine the relative risk of bullying in the development of serious mental health symptoms, while also considering the individual and contextual factors that may alter this pathway. I will conduct three projects to address this aim and work with community partners to improve programming and inform policy. Using longitudinal data that has followed youth from childhood through to early adulthood, I will examine the relative contribution of being bullied in the development of subsequent mental health symptoms, while accounting for other risk factors. Next, I will examine whether the link between being bullied and mental health is stronger for gender and sexual minority students, and whether is it stronger if the bullying occurs during school transitions (e.g., elementary school to middle school, middle school to high school). Finally, I will work with community partners to develop resources to better support vulnerable youth during vulnerable periods of development. Overall, results from this research will be used to inform youth mental health supports and policy. By better understanding when and for whom bullying predicts serious mental health concerns, we can develop more targeted intervention efforts to protect our most vulnerable youth.