Bullying in Childhood, Externalizing Behaviors, and Adult Offending: Evidence From a 30-Year Study

Abstract

This study examined the developmental processes linking childhood bullying to criminal offending in adulthood, using data from a 30-year longitudinal study. The linkages between bullying in childhood and three criminal offending outcomes in adulthood were estimated both before and after control for a range of confounding factors. A series of protective factors that potentially mediated these linkages were also examined. The results of the study showed that while the majority of the association between childhood bullying and adult offending could be explained by confounding factors including childhood externalizing behavior, there was evidence for direct linkages from bullying to violent offending and arrest/conviction. There was little evidence to suggest mediation of the associations. The results suggest that bullying prevention requires interventions aimed specifically at bullying behavior.