Bullying and discrimination during high school, and associations with mental distress

Ferdi Botha (), Steeve Marchand () and Derek Tong ()
Additional contact information
Ferdi Botha: Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic an Social Research, The University of Melbourne, Australia, https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/826294-ferdi-botha
Steeve Marchand: Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic an Social Research, The University of Melbourne, Australia, https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/882850-steeve-marchand
Derek Tong: Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic an Social Research, The University of Melbourne, Australia, https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/1089997-derek-tong

Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series from Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne

Abstract: This paper examines how high school bullying and discrimination are associated with mental distress, both during high school and later in life. Using retrospective data from adults in Australia, we document the reported frequency of past bullying and whether, during their time in high school, respondents experienced discrimination based on characteristics such as ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, or physical appearance. Frequent bullying is particularly prevalent among certain groups and is most common among those targeted due to a disability. We find that bullying is strongly associated with greater mental distress during high school, which persists into adulthood, even after accounting for experiences of discrimination. These associations are strongest for frequent bullying and are observed for both men and women. Discrimination based on disability and sexual orientation is also independently associated with greater mental distress. The findings underscore the significant challenges faced by those who experience frequent bullying during their teenage years, particularly among groups already experiencing discrimination.

Keywords: Bullying; discrimination; high school; adulthood; mental distress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 33pp
Date: 2026-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-mid
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/a ... 644439/wp2026n17.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2026n17

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series from Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 Australia. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sheri Carnegie ().