An Examination of Bullying and Physical Health Problems in Adolescence among South Korean Youth

Abstract

The current study provides a longitudinal examination of the relationship between bullying victimization and adolescent physical health. Relying on data from a large sample of adolescents from South Korean schools (Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey), a series of ordinary least squares regression models were estimated for adverse physical health outcomes. The results suggest that bullying victimization and perpetration is a significant risk factor for various forms of adverse physical health outcomes including asthma, rhinitis, and obesity. Specifically, being the victim of verbal bullying was associated with greater exposure to adverse health problems, including asthma, rhinitis, and obesity. We also found that being bullied physically was associated with a higher prevalence of obesity but those effects dissipated in fully controlled models. Lastly, we did observe that verbal bullying perpetration was associated with more asthma over time. Study limitations and implications for bullying prevention are also discussed.