Bullying Victimization is Associated with Heightened Rates of Anxiety and Depression Among Autistic and ADHD Youth: National Survey of Children's Health 2016-2020.
Amy L Accardo, Leslie C Neely, Nancy M H Pontes and 1 others
PMID 39034347WHAT IT FOUND
Bullying is linked to much higher rates of diagnosed anxiety and depression in autistic and ADHD teens compared to their peers.
These mental health impacts are significantly stronger in girls and in teens who have both autism and ADHD.
Key findings
01Bullying victimization was significantly more common among autistic youth (64.1% males, 68.9% females) and non-autistic ADHD youth (43.5% males, 57.4% females) than among non-autistic non-ADHD youth (22.7% males, 29.6% females).
02The increase in anxiety associated with bullying was significantly greater among autistic youth than among non-autistic non-ADHD youth for both females (38.7% vs 12.6%) and males (28.5% vs 8.7%).
03Among autistic youth with co-occurring ADHD, bullying was associated with the highest prevalence of anxiety (75.0%) and depression (41.8%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The data is cross-sectional, so it shows a link but cannot prove that bullying caused the anxiety or depression. All information came from parent reports, which may not match what the teens themselves experienced or reported. The study only counted youth who had received a formal clinical diagnosis, missing those who may be struggling but undiagnosed. The survey forced parents to choose between male or female for sex, so the results cannot speak to gender-diverse youth. The question about bullying changed wording partway through the data collection years, which may have affected how often parents reported it.
Declared interests
The study used publicly available National Survey of Children's Health data sponsored by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The authors did not report any personal financial conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this proves bullying causes mental health conditions. The study is observational and cross-sectional, meaning it only shows that bullying and anxiety or depression happen together more often in autistic and ADHD youth, not that one definitely causes the other.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →