ATLANTA, April 21 (UPI) -- U.S. middle- and high-school students who are bullies, victims, or both victims and perpetrators of bullying many have more violent homes, officials say.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, released Thursday, said bullies and victims of bullies are more likely to report considering suicide, intentionally injuring themselves -- non-suicide attempt -- being physically hurt by a family member and witnessing violence in their family than students uninvolved in bullying.
The report involved 5,807 middle- and high-school students surveyed from 138 Massachusetts public schools. Forty-four percent of the middle-school students and 30.5 percent of high-school students reported being involved in bullying, the report said.
"The health and family environment for students involved in bullying are substantially worse than for those who are not involved in bullying," the report said. "The results underscore the importance of primary prevention programs, as well as comprehensive programs and strategies that involve families."
