Retrospective bullying trajectories in adults with self-reported oral language difficulties.
Àngels Esteller-Cano, Lucía Buil-Legaz, Raúl López-Penadés and 2 others
PMID 35195330WHAT IT FOUND
Adults who self-reported oral language difficulties were more likely to have been bullied from early elementary school through later schooling.
When all bullying types were counted together, the difference was clearer.
Key findings
01A greater proportion of adults with self-reported oral language difficulties reported bullying victimisation than controls, 66.4% versus 54.2%.
02Higher victimisation in the language-difficulties group began as early as the first cycle of elementary school and remained consistent through baccalaureate.
03Among adults who had been bullied, poly-victimisation, intensity, persistence, power imbalance, and inability to defend oneself did not differ significantly between groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The language-difficulties group was defined by self-report, not objective language testing, so participants may not have had a clinically confirmed oral language disorder. The sample was recruited online through non-probabilistic methods and was over-represented for people with tertiary education, so it may not represent all adults with oral language difficulties. Many people who started the survey did not finish, and completers differed from non-completers, so participation bias is possible. The study asked adults to recall more than 16 years of schooling, and the cross-sectional design cannot show that language difficulties caused bullying. Most participants with language difficulties were not in clinical settings; only 17.3% reported speech therapy, so findings may not apply to more severe or treated cases.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that oral language difficulties cause bullying or that any speech or social programme prevents it. The study was a retrospective online survey of adults and did not test an intervention or follow children over time.