As over 10 million children prepare to start the new academic year this month, the anti-bullying charity The Diana Award, in partnership with Nationwide Building Society, has released new research revealing that being bullied at school can have a devastating lifelong psychological impact that continues throughout adulthood. Celebrities Rhys Stephenson and Lee Hinchcliffe will host an assembly streamed across the UK to bring together thousands of schoolchildren to tackle bullying, with further support from Will Poulter, Michelle Heaton, Curtis Pritchard, Molly Rainford, Shona McGarty, Jake Wood, Olive Gray, Tylan Grant, Laura Hopkinson and Okulaja.
The research shows that nearly two in three adults (67%) still have insecurities due to the bullying they experienced in school, with many saying it has negatively affected their self-esteem and mental health in adult life. Adults who are still carrying the trauma of childhood bullying are more likely to worry about their weight (69%), intelligence (38%), and social status at work or even among friends (37%). In particular, playground bullying around one’s physical appearance or weight can leave lingering damage, with adults responding that they don't feel comfortable taking pictures (58%), wearing swimwear (55%) or even being intimate with their partner (29%).
Yet it’s not just being bullied for weight and physical appearance which leaves a long-lasting impact, those who had a bad experience at school have been left with psychological scars and nearly two in five (63%) worry about their intelligence and say they often feel stupid in their day to day lives. Over half of adults (57%) said they don’t feel confident at all in their intellectual abilities, due to the unkind comments they received about their intelligence as schoolchildren. Furthermore, adults who were bullied at school due to being more academically successful than other children, sadly admit to hiding their intellectual abilities as adults which could impact on their opportunities for career success.
