Leading academic researchers into the ways bullying victimization in childhood harms brains, Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt and Dr. Iryna Palamarchuk conducted a meta-analysis of the last 25 years of research. They placed their own findings on bullying victimization into a larger arena of what other researchers have found about toxic stress’ impact on children’s developing brains. Their in-depth overview of stress psychopathology is vitally important reading for all who work with children: medical personnel, parents, teachers, coaches, social workers, mental health professionals, counsellors, and first responders.

Their overview reveals that due to the negative force of bullying on specific brain regions, children who are targeted by bullying can develop sensitivity toward facial expressions, poor cognitive reasoning, and overall distress that affects behavior and emotion regulation. The harm done to their brains may lead them to misinterpret a surprised face as an angry one, struggle to learn in school, act with despondence or defiance, and suffer emotionally in the form of depression, anxiety, or unregulated anger.

What impact does bullying have on the brain?

Vaillancourt and Palamarchuk’s summary statement on what they discovered in their own, and extensive research done by other experts, is that “targets of bullying victimization suffer chronic emotional distress which compromises their mental health and leads to persistent physical and social dysfunction, as well as poor academic achievement.” Considering the failure in developed nations to stop bullying in childhood, this summary grounded in a scientific study should galvanize change.

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While children are more vulnerable to bullying because neuronal development is taking place, adults who have been targeted by workplace bullying would instantly relate to the misery of constant emotional distress; many suffer blows to their mental health; they frequently miss work or have to go on leave due to mental and physical illness resulting from bullying; and they do not perform their best at their respective positions. They have poor performance indicators and are unable to fulfill their potential.

How do bullied brains manifest the harm done?

Extensive research shows that bullying victimization disturbs “emotional processing” which can lead to “psychiatric disorders.” Targets suffer intense responses to social exclusion. They may develop severe “adolescent social anxiety.” Girls in particular respond to bullying with “poor social self-esteem.” They are interrupted by negative, intrusive memories that can lead to “psychiatric dysfunctions such as social anxiety disorder.” Targets have repeatedly elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol which can harm both brain and body.

Vaillancourt and Palamarchuk hypothesize that children who have symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from bullying are in fact showing symptoms of “neurophysiological changes” that researchers also find with abused children. What is going on in the brain? Whether from bullying or abuse, these child victims’ brains have suppressed neurogenesis. Namely, they struggle to birth new brain cells which are important for overall health. They have “stress-associated delayed myelination.” In other words, the fatty insulator that encases axons is delayed by toxic stress. Myelin is important for developing skills, knowledge, and talent. Finally, they also suffer a distorted kind of brain cell death that once again affects healthy brain functioning.

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Child populations today are at significant risk for mental health disorders. They are suffering at levels never seen before in terms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and suicide. Brain research can help children, youth, and those who work with them, to understand how critical it is to prevent bullying, protect from bullying, and repair the damage done to the brain if bullying has occurred.

3 Ways to Protect Brains from Bullying

Step One

We need to act based on scientific findings. While lawmakers have been slow to bring about effective change, we can start making organizational change: ensure that leaders are informed and proactive because the science is clear that all forms of bullying and abuse can do serious harm to brains and thus physical and mental health.

Principals in schools, heads of human resources, mental health practitioners, leaders in social work, head doctors, bosses at work, all those in leadership positions need to understand the significant harm done to brains by bullying and act to protect those in their care, especially children. If they protect their people from fire, they need to also protect them from bullying with as much attention to detail and professional input as possible.

Step Two

Teach children and youth that bullying is very harmful to their brain and should be avoided just like they would avoid traumatic brain injuries. While they can’t wear a helmet that protects them from blows to the brain, they can harness themselves with knowledge about the toxic effects of all forms of bullying and abuse. They need to be well-informed on how to report and how to enlist adult intervention. From an early age, children can learn how to make their brains visible with drawings and as they become older with photographs and video.

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Children can learn the various regions of the brain impacted specifically in harmful ways from bullying and develop a vocabulary to report accurately the harm being done to their developing brains by bullying. If schools and sport programs are not teaching brain safety and health, with a focus on how bullying is toxic, then parents must add this to the list of vitally important learnings for their children.

Step Three

As much as bullying harms brains, there are also extensive studies on how to repair the harm done. Targets can learn evidence-based interventions to assist the brain in resilience to and recovery from bullying: Dr. Stan Rodski's mindful "coloration", Dr. John Raty's aerobic fitness, Dr. Michael Merzenich's neuroscience-designed brain training, Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett's theory of constructed emotion, are all effective practices.