---
title: "Psych News Alert: Combined Bullies/Victims More Suicidal"
description: Children who are both victims and bullies are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts, or have planned and engaged in suicidal or ...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/BullyGirl_14421247-Jun-24-2025-04-16-07-3470-PM.jpg
---

 3/1/12 12:00 AM

# Combined Bullies/Victims More Suicidal

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

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Children who are both victims and bullies are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts, or have planned and engaged in suicidal or self-harming behavior before the age of 12, compared to children who were neither bullies nor victims.

Furthermore, children who were bullied over a long period of time were six times more likely to consider suicide.

This increased risk was not explained by other factors like family circumstances or pre-existing emotional problems, according to a study by Dieter Wolke, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, published in the March issue of the *Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. * Wolke and three colleagues looked at data from 6,043 children, as well as from parents and teachers.

“Health practitioners should be aware of the relationship between bullying and suicide, and should recognize the very real risks that may be evident earlier in development than commonly thought,” said Wolke in a statement. Targeting interventions from primary school onward could help to prevent chronic exposure to bullying, he said.

For more in *Psychiatric News* about ways to respond to bullying, click [here](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=113978).

(Image: Creatista /Shutterstock.com)

[children](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/children), [bullying](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/bullying), [child psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/child-psychiatry), [suicidal behavior](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicidal-behavior)

## Related posts

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## [Cyberbullying Linked to Youth Suicidality, Study Shows](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/06/cyberbullying-linked-to-youth.html)

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[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_270693497-Jun-24-2025-10-27-08-7017-PM.jpg?height=200&name=shutterstock_270693497-Jun-24-2025-10-27-08-7017-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/07/physical-activity-may-be-protective.html)

[suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide), [physical activity](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/physical-activity), [suicidal ideation](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicidal-ideation), [bullying](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/bullying), [JAACAP](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/jaacap)

## [Physical Activity May Be Protective Against Suicidality in Bullied Adolescents](https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/07/physical-activity-may-be-protective.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 7/28/15 12:00 AM

Physical activity appears to be inversely related to sadness and suicidality in adolescents and may...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2015/07/physical-activity-may-be-protective.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/bullet_hole_iStock-157483255-Jun-24-2025-10-32-53-0600-PM.jpg?height=200&name=bullet_hole_iStock-157483255-Jun-24-2025-10-32-53-0600-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/02/exposure-to-gun-violence-increases-risk.html)

[gun violence](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/gun-violence), [suicidality](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicidality), [suicidal ideation](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicidal-ideation), [black Americans](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/black-americans), [suicide risk](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-risk), [gun violence exposure](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/gun-violence-exposure), [Rutgers University](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/rutgers-university), [behavior](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/behavior), [Daniel Semenza](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/daniel-semenza)

## [Exposure to Gun Violence Increases Risk of Suicidality in Black Adults](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/02/exposure-to-gun-violence-increases-risk.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

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