Association Between School Bullying, Suicidal Ideation, and Eating Disorders Among School-Aged Children from Antioquia, Colombia

Abstract

Evidence has suggested that various mental health problems are associated with school bullying. The present study investigated the associations between bullying and suicidal ideation and eating disorders in school-aged children. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 3222 adolescents from grades 5 to 9 enrolled in public schools in the urban area of the Department of Antioquia (Colombia), selected through multi-stage sampling. The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 38% (95% CI: 35.8–39.4), and the prevalence of eating disorders was 18% (95% CI: 16.2–18.9). Adolescents exposed to medium–high levels of school bullying had a significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation (PR = 1.38). Also, the greater the family dysfunction, the significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation. Regarding eating disorders, adolescents with medium–high exposure to bullying showed a greater risk of eating disorders (PR = 3.86). Neither suicidal ideation nor eating disorders were associated with sex and age of the adolescents. This study concludes that school bullying could potentially affect mental health outcomes in school-aged children while describing the relevance of family functionality.