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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    How can being bullied affect a child's emotions?

    Related Topics
    Bullying Children's Health
    Could it lead to psychological consequences when the child grows older?
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    Maree Wragg

    HealthShare Member

    I was bullied all through high school.  I was a clever, fat, girl, with no self esteem, so fell victim very quickly to a gang of boys.  I got through school without the ability to form friends, but I did get good grades all through those six years - I was scared that if I did not keep up my high academic performence it would give the bullies another stick to beat me with.  Despite getting a very high TER score, I left school at the end of sixth form because I could not bear the idea of going on to tertiary education and enduring more years being bullied.  Consequently I became a bookkeeper, rather than an accountant.  I likle could have been promoted through the ranks due to my academic skills, but i did not have the ability to relateto people, so would not have been able to be a supervisor.
    Since I left school, I have formed no female friendships, and have rarely been part of a social group, unless it was work related.  I rarely had a boyfriend, and of the three that I did have, i did not love any of them, they were just social acquaintances I used to make me acceptable to society.  I finally met the man of my dreams and, yes, fell in love when I was 35, but, due to the negative voices in my head, did not grab the chance to marry him, and to have his baby at 37.  Consequently, now, I am 54, childless, and likely to remain so.
    Do I blame those boys for teaching me that I was too unattractive to be able to get and keep a man?  Yes.  Was it their fault that I, now, have no self esteem, and can not form relationships? Yes.  Of course, my parents were two people who should never have had children, and certainly not together, but the bullying cemented the negative start my parents gave me.

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  • 1

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    Maree Wragg

    HealthShare Member

    I was bullied all through high school.  I was a clever, fat, girl, with no self esteem, so fell victim very quickly to a gang of boys.  I got through school without the ability to form friends, but I did get good grades all through those six years - I was scared that if I did not keep up my high academic performence it would give the bullies another stick to beat me with.  Despite getting a very high TER score, I left school at the end of sixth form because I could not bear the idea of going on to tertiary education and enduring more years being bullied.  Consequently I became a bookkeeper, rather than an accountant.  I likely could have been promoted through the ranks due to my academic skills, but I did not have the ability to relate to people, so would not have been able to be a supervisor.
    Since I left school, I have formed no female friendships, and have rarely been part of a social group, unless it was work related.  I rarely had a boyfriend, and of the three that I did have, i did not love any of them, they were just social acquaintances I used to make me acceptable to society.  I finally met the man of my dreams and, yes, fell in love when I was 35, but, due to the negative voices in my head, did not grab the chance to marry him, and to have his baby at 37.  Consequently, now, I am 54, childless, and likely to remain so.
    Do I blame those boys for teaching me that I was too unattractive to be able to get and keep a man?  Yes.  Was it their fault that I, now, have no self esteem, and can not form relationships? Yes.  Of course, my parents were two people who should never have had children, and certainly not together, but the bullying cemented the negative start my parents gave me.

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    Caroline Issa

    Psychologist

    I am a fully registered Psychologist with over ten years of experience practicing Psychology. I found that studying Psychology allowed me to follow my dreams … View Profile

    Bullying can affect a child’s emotions as the constant negative put downs can leads to acting out, antisocial behaviours or even self-harming. As the child gets older psychological consequences such as high stress levels, depression and anxiety could develop, which subsequently leads to loneliness, poor physical and mental health and to the extreme suicidal ideations. It just depends on how well that child is resilient enough to overcome the bullying, and of course, what supports are around them to be able to overcome that, as well.

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