Adult support protective against bullying

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Social support from adults or peers, or both, appears to lessen the negative consequences of bullying of school girls, Canadian researchers found.

Dr. Martin Guhn and colleagues from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and his team analyzed combination of high levels of bullying and low levels of adult as well as peer support have a multiplicative negative effect on children's well-being.

One-in-7 girls and 1-in-6 boys felt victimized several times a week, with verbal and social victimization more commonly reported than physical bullying. Cyber bullying appeared to be relatively low, Guhn said.

The study, published in the Journal of Happiness Studies, also found positive relationships with adults and peers were strongly linked to life satisfaction and self-esteem, whereas bullying was strongly linked to depressive symptoms and anxiety.

In addition, victimization was particularly strongly linked to low life satisfaction, low self-esteem and more depressive symptoms in girls who reported low levels of social support from adults as well as from peers, Guhn said.