<p>Children who are bullied may experience lifelong health effects related to chronic stress exposure such as increased risk for heart disease and diabetes in adulthood, new research has found.<br /><br />Recent advances in understanding of the negative health effects of chronic stress highlight a pressing need to clarify the longer-term health implications of childhood bullying, researchers said.<br /><br />"Bullying, as a form of chronic social stress, may have significant health consequences if not addressed early," said Susannah J Tye, from the Mayo Clinic in the US.<br /><br />"We encourage child health professionals to assess both the mental and physical health effects of bullying," said Tye.<br /><br />"Bullying has been linked to an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, although there are still questions about the direction of that association," researchers said.<br /><br />Bullied children also have increased rates of various physical symptoms - recurrent and unexplained symptoms may be a warning sign of bullying.<br /><br />"It is important that we appreciate the biological processes linking these psychological and physiological phenomena, including their potential to impact long-term health," Tye said.<br /><br />Studies of chronic stress exposure raise concerns that bullying may have lasting effects on physical health.<br /><br />Any form of continued physical or mental stress can put a strain on the body, leading to increasing "wear and tear."<br /><br />This process, called allostatic load, reflects the cumulative impact of biological responses to ongoing or repeated stress—for example, the "fight or flight" response.<br /><br />"When an individual is exposed to brief periods of stress, the body can often effectively cope with the challenge and recover back to baseline," Tye said.<br /><br />"Yet, with chronic stress, this recovery process may not have ample opportunity to occur, and allostatic load can build to a point of overload," she said.<br /><br />"In such states of allostatic overload, physiological processes critical to health and well-being can be negatively impacted," she added.<br /><br />With increasing allostatic load, chronic stress can lead to changes in inflammatory, hormonal, and metabolic responses.<br /><br />Over time, these physiological alterations can contribute to the development of diseases - including depression, diabetes, and heart disease - as well as progression of psychiatric disorders.<br /><br />Early-life stress exposure can also affect the way in which these physiological systems respond to future stressors.<br /><br />This may occur in part through epigenetic changes—alterations in gene function related to environmental exposures—that alter the stress response itself.<br /><br />Chronic stress may also impair the child's ability to develop psychological skills that foster resilience, reducing their capacity to cope with future stress.<br />The research appears in the journal Harvard Review of Psychiatry.</p>
<p>Children who are bullied may experience lifelong health effects related to chronic stress exposure such as increased risk for heart disease and diabetes in adulthood, new research has found.<br /><br />Recent advances in understanding of the negative health effects of chronic stress highlight a pressing need to clarify the longer-term health implications of childhood bullying, researchers said.<br /><br />"Bullying, as a form of chronic social stress, may have significant health consequences if not addressed early," said Susannah J Tye, from the Mayo Clinic in the US.<br /><br />"We encourage child health professionals to assess both the mental and physical health effects of bullying," said Tye.<br /><br />"Bullying has been linked to an increased risk of psychiatric disorders, although there are still questions about the direction of that association," researchers said.<br /><br />Bullied children also have increased rates of various physical symptoms - recurrent and unexplained symptoms may be a warning sign of bullying.<br /><br />"It is important that we appreciate the biological processes linking these psychological and physiological phenomena, including their potential to impact long-term health," Tye said.<br /><br />Studies of chronic stress exposure raise concerns that bullying may have lasting effects on physical health.<br /><br />Any form of continued physical or mental stress can put a strain on the body, leading to increasing "wear and tear."<br /><br />This process, called allostatic load, reflects the cumulative impact of biological responses to ongoing or repeated stress—for example, the "fight or flight" response.<br /><br />"When an individual is exposed to brief periods of stress, the body can often effectively cope with the challenge and recover back to baseline," Tye said.<br /><br />"Yet, with chronic stress, this recovery process may not have ample opportunity to occur, and allostatic load can build to a point of overload," she said.<br /><br />"In such states of allostatic overload, physiological processes critical to health and well-being can be negatively impacted," she added.<br /><br />With increasing allostatic load, chronic stress can lead to changes in inflammatory, hormonal, and metabolic responses.<br /><br />Over time, these physiological alterations can contribute to the development of diseases - including depression, diabetes, and heart disease - as well as progression of psychiatric disorders.<br /><br />Early-life stress exposure can also affect the way in which these physiological systems respond to future stressors.<br /><br />This may occur in part through epigenetic changes—alterations in gene function related to environmental exposures—that alter the stress response itself.<br /><br />Chronic stress may also impair the child's ability to develop psychological skills that foster resilience, reducing their capacity to cope with future stress.<br />The research appears in the journal Harvard Review of Psychiatry.</p>