Bullies are the last people we would think to be a victim, but it is not unknown that bullies have their own battles as with the bullied. Psychologist have long deciphered the results of years of studies that people who become bullies have their own issues and that some of their outlets are aggression and deflecting it to others.
However, a study in New York gave us a new outlook on the children who tend to bully. Out of this study the researchers concluded that these children have bigger tendencies to have eating disorders. The study was published on an issue of "International Journal of Eating Disorders" by the combined efforts of the Duke Medicine and the University Of North Carolina School Of Medicine.
William Copeland from Duke University School of Medicine, the lead author, said, "For a long time, there is been this story about bullies that they are a little more hale and hearty, maybe they are good at manipulating social situations or getting out of trouble, but in this one area it seems that is not the case at all," the research surveyed 1,420 children were divided into four groups: the bullies, the bullied, the occasionally bullied and the not bullied at all.
Those who have cases of bullying have been observed and said to have twice the risk of having eating disorders such as bulimia, binge eating and anorexia than those who have been bullied. The study showed many finding such as the eating disorders may result from the guilt and resentment of their actions, which lead to either binge eating and purging or strenuous physical activities or exercise. Both the bully and the bullied are receptive of eating disorders. It showed all of those who are involved in bullying have 22.8 against the 5.6 percent of those who are not involved at all.
More so, though, all these have long-term effects on the children - a part of them eventually go through and succeed from this. "We want to do a better job of understanding why some people are able to experience the same things as others and be able to get through them without the same consequences. We really need to understand the resilience in those who have been bullied. That can help us determine the children who are going to need the most attention, and how we can promote those traits in others to increase their resilience," Copeland added.
