Has your kid been a victim of bullying at school or college? Take him in confidence as this may harm him in a more serious way.
Adolescents involved in bullying as well as its victims are more likely to carry weapons than peers who are not involved in bullying, a study shows.
"Adolescent bullies, victims and bully-victims (defined as those who are simultaneously both bullies and victims) were more likely to carry weapons," said lead study author Mitch van Geel from Leiden University in the Netherlands.
To understand this, the authors reviewed medical literature and analysed 22 studies for victims, 15 studies for bullies and eight studies for bully-victims.
Studies conducted in the US found stronger associations between being a bully-victim and weapon-carrying than studies in other countries.
"The current meta-analysis suggests that bullying is related to weapon carrying among adolescents and further establishes bullying as a risk factor for adolescent problem behaviour," van Geel emphasised.
Given the wide range of negative implications bullying may have, it is important that schools endeavour to reduce bullying among their students, preferably by using evidence-based methods, the researchers added.