Published online July 2, 2007
PEDIATRICS Vol. 120 No. 1 July 2007, pp. 110-117 (doi:10.1542/10.1542/peds.2006-1481)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Due, P.
Right arrow Articles by Holstein, B. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Due, P.
Right arrow Articles by Holstein, B. E.
Related Collections
Right arrow Office Practice
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

ARTICLE

Is Victimization From Bullying Associated With Medicine Use Among Adolescents? A Nationally Representative Cross-sectional Survey in Denmark

Pernille Due, MDa,b, Ebba Holme Hansen, MScb,c, Juan Merlo, PhDd, Anette Andersen, PhDa,b and Bjørn E. Holstein, MagScientSoca,b

a Department of Social Medicine, Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences
c Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Section of Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
b Research Center for Quality in Medicine Use, Copenhagen, Denmark
d Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to examine whether being a victim of bullying was associated with medicine use, taking into account the increased prevalence of physical and psychological symptoms.

METHODS. The study population included all students in grades 5, 7, and 9 (mean ages: 11.6, 13.6, and 15.6 years, respectively) in a random sample of schools in Denmark (participation rate: 88.5%; N = 5205). The students reported health problems, medicine use, bullying, and a range of psychosocial conditions in an anonymous standardized questionnaire. The outcome measure was self-reported medicine use for headache, stomachache, difficulties in getting to sleep, and nervousness. The determinant was frequency of exposure to bullying, measured with 1 item.

RESULTS. In multivariate models adjusted for age and social class, we found that adolescent victims of bullying used medicine for pains and psychological problems more often than did adolescents who were not bullied. The increased odds of using medicine were not explained by the higher prevalence of symptoms among the bullied children.

CONCLUSIONS. We found victimization from bullying to be associated with medicine use, even when we controlled for the higher prevalence of symptoms among bullied victims. The medications that adolescents use can have adverse effects, in addition to the potentially health-damaging effects of bullying. Policy makers, health care professionals, and school staff should be aware that the adolescent victims of bullying are prone to excess use of medicine, and preventive actions should be taken to decrease the level of bullying as well as the use of medicine among adolescents.

Key Words: bullying • medicine use • adolescents • population-based study

Abbreviations: HBSC—Health Behavior in School-aged Children • MOR—median odds ratio • OR—odds ratio • CI—confidence interval

Accepted Mar 1, 2007.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am. J. Public HealthHome page
P. Due, J. Merlo, Y. Harel-Fisch, M. T. Damsgaard, M. s. soc, B. E. Holstein, M. s. soc, J. Hetland, C. Currie, S. N. Gabhainn, et al.
Socioeconomic Inequality in Exposure to Bullying During Adolescence: A Comparative, Cross-Sectional, Multilevel Study in 35 Countries
Am J Public Health, May 1, 2009; 99(5): 907 - 914.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 The Journal of RheumatologyHome page
J. D. McNALLY, L. A. MATHESON, and A. M. ROSENBERG
Epidemiologic Considerations in Unexplained Pediatric Arthralgia: The Role of Season, School, and Stress
J Rheumatol, February 1, 2009; 36(2): 427 - 433.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Qual Health ResHome page
D. L. Hansen, E. H. Hansen, and B. E. Holstein
Using Analgesics as Tools: Young Women's Treatment for Headache
Qual Health Res, February 1, 2008; 18(2): 234 - 243.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
S. Bejerot and M. Humble
Relevance of Motor Skill Problems in Victims of Bullying
Pediatrics, November 1, 2007; 120(5): 1226 - 1227.
[Full Text] [PDF]