High levels of mental distress among Australians who experienced high school bullying

Taking The Pulse of the Nation

Informing Australian economic & social policy.

A Melbourne Institute & Roy Morgan partnership

Taking the Pulse of the Nation (TTPN) surveys the Australian population to capture their sentiments and behaviours related to current economic and social issues.

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High levels of mental distress among Australians who experienced high school bullying

A recent report by the Australian Council for Educational Research revealed that Australian students face some of the highest rates of bullying among comparable English-speaking countries. To explore the dynamics of bullying in Australia, the June 2024 Taking the Pulse of the Nation (TTPN) survey asked adults how often they experienced bullying (in-person or online) during their time in high school.

While the prevalence of bullying is often studied by surveying current students, comparing answers across birth cohorts shows how high school bullying has evolved with time. Additionally, this approach allows us to relate past experiences of bullying to current outcomes of interest, in this case, mental distress.

Experiences of bullying in high school have progressively increased among younger cohorts

From individuals born in the 1940s (currently aged 75-84) to those born in the 1960s (currently aged 55-64), the proportion who experienced bullying has risen sharply (Figure 1 – available to view on the Melbourne Institute TTPN website).

Compared to individuals born in the 1940s, those born in the 1960s or later are nearly three times more likely to experience high school bullying at least some of the time.

While the share of individuals who experienced at least some bullying remained stable (between 40% and 45%) among younger cohorts, the rate of those who experienced more frequent bullying has progressively increased for younger birth cohorts. For the youngest cohort in the survey (individuals currently aged 18-24), almost 22% report they experienced bullying most or all of the time.

The prevalence of bullying is high for both men and women and across all types of high schools

Rates of bullying are high for both men and women (Figure 2 – available to view on the Melbourne Institute TTPN website). Men (41%) are more likely than women (36%) to have experienced bullying at least some of the time, whereas the proportion reporting more frequent bullying is roughly 11.5% for both men and women.

Bullying rates are high across all types of schools in which respondents spent most of their time. Although rates of bullying are statistically indistinguishable across school types in Australia, those who studied overseas experienced less frequent bullying (most or all of the time).

The experience of bullying in high school is highly correlated with mental distress in adulthood

Past experiences of bullying in high school are strongly correlated with adults' current mental distress (Figure 3 – available to view on the Melbourne Institute TTPN website). Almost 75% of those who were bullied all the time responded that they felt depressed or anxious at least some of the time, while this rate is 25% for those who were never bullied. The relationship is similar for more frequent bullying.

Among individuals who report having been bullied all of the time, 62% report feeling mentally distressed most or all of the time, while the rate is 7% among those who were never bullied.

The experience of bullying negatively impacts future interpersonal relationships as well as education and career choices

The survey included two questions asking respondents to rate the impact of their high school experiences on their future education, training, and career choices, as well as on their future relationship with others, on a scale of 0 (very negative impact) to 10 (very positive impact).

Figure 4 (available to view on the Melbourne Institute TTPN website) presents the average ratings. The more frequent bullying a person has experienced, the more likely they are to report a negative impact on both their future relationships with others and their educational and career choices.

Younger cohorts report higher levels of frequent high school bullying experiences than older cohorts. This trend may reflect changes not only in school environments but also in out-of-school environments (e.g. online bullying on social media). Men and women both report high rates of bullying during their time in high school, with no clear gender difference in reports of frequent bullying. Bullying also seems widespread across all types of high schools in Australia.

The strong correlation between past school bullying experiences and current adult mental distress suggests potential long-term adverse effects of bullying. More frequent bullying experiences are strongly associated with negative self-reported impacts of high school experience on future relationships with others and on future education and career choices. These findings highlight the importance of not only addressing bullying behaviour, but also providing adequate support to victims of bullying to mitigate the potential long-lasting impact on their future.

Authors: This Taking the Pulse of the Nation (TTPN) insight was authored by Dr. Steeve Marchand, Research Fellow at the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research, and Derek Tong, Foundation Fellow at the Melbourne Institute on 12 August 2024.

Contact: melb-inst@unimelb.edu.au.

Melbourne Institute Website URL: https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/data/taking-the-pulse-of-the-nation-2022/2024/ttpn-12-august-2024

About Taking the Pulse of the Nation (TTPN):

*This report is based on a total of 1029 respondents from data collected in June 2024. The question on bullying asked: “During your time in high school, how often did you experience bullying (in-person or online)”.

To measure mental distress, respondents were asked: “During the past week how often did you feel depressed or anxious?” To both questions, respondents could respond: all of the time, most of the time, some of the time, a little of the time, none of the time, or could decline to answer (don’t know or prefer not to say).

The question on high school type was: “At what type of school did you spend the majority of your time during high school/secondary school?” Respondents could answer: Government (public) high school in Australia, Catholic high school in Australia, Other non-government (private) high school in Australia, School not in Australia (overseas), Other type of school in Australia, not included above (specify) or could decline to answer (don’t know or prefer not to say).

The questions on the self-reported impact of high school experiences were: “On a scale of 0-10, to what extent did your experiences in your high school years impact the following aspects of your adult life? 0= Very negative impact; 5= Neutral or no impact; 10= Very positive impact”. Respondents had to provide a response to: “1 - Relationships with others and 2 - Further education, training or career choices”, or could respond they preferred not to say.

**This research was supported (partially or fully) by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Project ID CE200100025).

Beginning in April 2020, the Taking the Pulse of the Nation (TTPN) was conceptualised and implemented by a group of researchers at the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research.

In 2022, the Melbourne Institute and Roy Morgan formed a partnership to extend the running of the TTPN. Each wave includes a set of core questions, as well as additional questions that address current and emerging issues facing Australians.

The TTPN sample is stratified to reflect the Australian adult population in terms of age, gender, and location. The TTPN Survey uses a repeated cross-sectional design. If you are interested in adding questions to the survey or accessing the data, please contact us at: melb-inst@unimelb.edu.au.

To view all Melbourne Institute – Roy Morgan Taking The Pulse of the Nation Reports visit the TTPN website portal: https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/data/ttpn