PEER BULLYING AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN ADOLESCENTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Bullying remains a significant public health concern with profound implications for adolescent mental health. This systematic review examined the relationship between bullying exposure and mental health outcomes among adolescents. A comprehensive search of relevant databases and supplementary sources, including bibliographic and backward citation tracking, identified additional studies for inclusion. A total of 22 records were retrieved through other sources. After removal of 29 duplicates, 1,095 records were screened based on title and abstract, followed by full-text assessment for eligibility. Ultimately, 30 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final synthesis, while 43 full-text reports were excluded. The primary reasons for exclusion were participants falling outside the defined adolescent age range and the use of non-validated mental health assessment instruments. Findings across the included studies consistently indicated that exposure to bullying, whether as a victim, perpetrator, or both is significantly associated with a range of adverse mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, psychological distress, and suicidal ideation. The evidence also suggests that both traditional and cyberbullying contribute to poor psychosocial adjustment during adolescence, with varying severity depending on frequency, duration, and context of exposure. Protective factors such as social support and school connectedness were found to mitigate some of these effects. Overall, this review highlights bullying as a critical determinant of adolescent mental health and underscores the need for early prevention strategies, school-based interventions, and policies that promote safe and supportive learning environments. Further research using standardized and validated mental health measurement tools is recommended to strengthen the evidence base and improve comparability across studies.