The Impact of Bullying Victimization in Early Adolescence on Subsequent Psychosocial and Academic Outcomes across the Adolescent Period: A Systematic Review

Bullying is a widespread global issue, with serious consequences for victimized individuals. The current systematic review is the first to explore the consequences of bullying in early adolescence on psychological and academic functioning across the adolescent period. Five databases were examined, yielding 28 relevant studies. Victimized individuals were found to experience negative psychosocial and academic outcomes, including increased depression and anxiety, increased peer rejection, poorer school performance and school connectedness, both over the short term (12 months), and up to 8 years later. Victimized females suffered worse outcomes than victimized males, specifically for symptoms of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Future research should prioritize developing a globally recognized measure of bullying, and designing targeted interventions addressing specific outcomes for victimized females and males.