One in five children experienced some kind of bullying in 2019, but some are more at risk than others. MQ-funded researcher Dr Jean-Baptiste Pingault, and his team have been trying to better understand bullying and mental health since 2017.
His study, Bullying and Mental Health: a Genetically Informative Approach, looked at whether improving our understanding of the relationship between mental health and bullying could lead to more targeted and effective support for young people.
In 2020 Jean-Baptiste concluded his study which provides unprecedented evidence on the origins and consequences of bullying victimisation. The project used a large sample of 11,108 twins from the Twins Early Development Study, a longitudinal study collecting data from sets of twins in the UK. Twins who share their genes and environments, such as a family home, have different experiences regarding victimisation.
Jean Baptiste’s study found that children with pre-existing risk factors for conditions such as ADHD and depression are more likely to be bullied than their peers. They also suffer longer-term mental health issues as a result, such as anxiety, depression and paranoid thoughts. These findings came as no surprise to MQ’s newest ambassador Ajay Songagara, known by his stage name AJ Soni.
Today, Ajay is a singer, rapper and spoken word artist who performs at poetry events and has met celebrities such as Rita Ora, Maya Jama, Stormzy and Ellie Goulding. But during his time at school, Ajay was a target for bullies:
“I’ve been battling with my mental health for 27 years. I didn’t read, write talk or speak properly until I was eight or nine years old and was very lonely at school. When I was 11, I was diagnosed with dyslexia, learning difficulties and special educational needs. After that, I started high school. That was when the bullying started. I was physically attacked, called names and had chewing gum thrown at me. I went through so much pain and isolation for many years. I lost all confidence and suffered from depression. I would spend my time in my room on social media which was the worst thing for me."
"I was physically attacked, called names and had chewing gum thrown at me. I went through so much pain and isolation for many years. I lost all confidence and suffered from depression"
“I remember my Mum used to take me for private treatments as the school did not understand bullying or mental health. When I was 25, I was diagnosed with autism.
"My escape route has always been music; now I’m standing strong and smiling and looking forward to releasing my first single about my journey.”
Jean Baptiste’s research found that all current interventions focus on stopping the act of bullying itself. His findings show that it is essential to also provide support to the victims of bullying, particularly people like Ajay who are vulnerable to mental health conditions, to help them recover quicker and lessen the impact on their long-term mental health.
Jean Baptiste is now working to maximise the impacts of his findings. He is working with the Anna Freud Centre to create essential support resources for children, parents and teachers to distribute to over 3,000 schools. He has collaborated with an expert panel from government agencies to ensure policy impact, with additional input from MQ’s Young People Advisory group. Jean-Baptise has made a significant contribution to understanding bullying and the anti-bullying movement.
You can read Jean Baptiste’s findings in JAMA Psychiatry, Nature Human Behaviour and the Psychological Bulletin.
