Danish study links school bullying and pressure to adult depression

A Danish study links school bullying and academic pressure to depressive symptoms in adulthood.

Researchers followed 3,000 people born in 1989 from age 15 to 32. Postdoctoral researcher Christine Leonhard Birk Sørensen from the University of Southern Denmark led the work. The team was based at Regional Hospital Gødstrup.

The study identified five key school risk factors at age 15. These include bullying, school pressure, and low support from teachers or classmates. The fifth factor is a low sense of status in class.

At age 15, students placed themselves on a ten-rung ladder. This measure combined perceived social and academic standing. Students on lower rungs showed a higher risk of adult depressive symptoms.

The findings were reported by the teachers' journal Folkeskolen. Sørensen urged politicians to focus on social development in public schools alongside academic tests.