Bullying makes children ill

Bullying is making many young children ill, a study has claimed. Sleeping difficulties, headaches, stomach aches and bed-wetting were found to be common problems among children who said they had been bullied. The study of 2,962 primary schoolchildren was conducted through interviews by school nurses in Newham, east London. More than 450 reported being bullied either physically or psychologically.

The researchers, led by Dr Stuart Logan from the Institute of Child Health in London, reported in the British Medical Journal: "Our results suggest a strong association between reported bullying and common symptoms. Health professionals seeing children with these common symptoms should ask whether the child is being bullied. If bullying is reported, whether or not it is causally related to the presenting complaint, it should be taken seriously."