Impact of Reporting Bullying on Suicidal Behaviors among High School Aged Adolescents

Background: Suicide among adolescents is a serious public health problem in the United States. In 2010, 1,659 adolescents aged 15-19 years died as a result of suicide. Suicidal behaviors are among many adverse physical, mental, and social consequences associated with bullying and peer victimization among adolescents. The purpose of this study was to assess whether reporting of bullying impacted suicidal behaviors among high school aged adolescents (14-19 years).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 9-12th grade students (n=680) in a Northeast Central Ohio county using a modified High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The primary outcomes of interest were whether an adolescent had had seriously thought (ideation), planned, or attempted suicide in the past 12 months. The primary exposure of interest was whether an adolescent had been ever been bullied; if bullied, had told anyone about being bullied; and whether the reporting made bullying better, worse or made no difference. 

Results: Fifty-three percent (n=363) of the sample were male and 92.5% (n=629) were white. Twenty-two percent, 19.3%, and 10.6% respectively reported suicide ideations, planning, and attempts in the past 12 months. Thirty-eight percent of the bullied adolescents did not report bullying, 16.1% indicated reporting made the situation better, 13.9% indicated made the situation worse, and 31.7% indicated made no difference. In the multivariable analyses, compared to not bullied adolescents, those bullied but not reporting bullying had 4.08 (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 2.36-7.08), 5.91 (3.29-10.61), and 3.96 (1.81-8.70) times the odds; those indicating reporting bullying made the situation better had 1.70 (0.73-3.96), 2.72 (1.18-6.29), and 1.04 (0.27-3.99) times the odds;  and those indicating reporting bullying made the situation worse had 6.16 (2.97-12.80), 7.07 (3.29-15.18), and 7.11 (2.81-17.99) times the odds of suicide ideation, planning, and attempt, respectively.

Conclusions: Bullied adolescents had significantly greater odds of suicidal behaviors, if they did not report the bullying. However, if they reported bullying and the situation become better, the association was not statistically significant for suicide ideations and attempts. On the other hand, reporting of bullying significantly increased the odds of suicidal behaviors when reporting made the bullying situation worse for the adolescents.