Bullies and their victims consider suicide at 11

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Childhood bullies don’t get a lot of sympathy but a new study has found they are just as likely to consider suicide as their victims.

Research from the University of Warwick found that children involved in bullying — either as bully or victim — are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts by the time they turn 11 than other kids.

Related: A parent’s guide to bullying

Even more shockingly, a large percentage of these children had planned or engaged in self-harming behaviours before their 12th birthdays.

Researchers examined data from 6043 children aged four to 10. The children, their parents and teachers were quizzed on a range of topics, including the prevalence of bullying and suicidal thoughts.

The study found that children who were bullied were three times as likely to consider suicide than those who were never bullied. Those who were bullied over a long period of time were at even greater risk, being six times more likely to have suicidal thoughts.

Surprisingly, the study found that bullies were also at increased risk of suicide, being just as likely as their victims to consider suicide or self-harm.

“Our study findings suggest that suicide-related behaviour is a serious problem for pre-adolescent youth,” study leader Professor Dieter Wolke said.

“Nearly 5 percent of this community population reported suicidal thoughts and 4.6 percent reported suicidal or self-injurious behaviour.

“Health practitioners should be aware of the relationship between bullying and suicide, and should recognise the very real risks that may be evident earlier in development than commonly thought.

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“Targeting intervention schemes from primary school onward is paramount, and could help to prevent chronic exposure to bullying, which is especially harmful.”

The research was published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.