Bullying is a frequent experience for many children and young people. Estimates suggest that between 20 and 25% of young people experience bullying in school. Research has also consistently found a relationship between being bullied and poor mental health, including higher levels of depression, anxiety, and a greater risk of suicidal thoughts. Despite the evidence highlighting the long-term negative impact being bullied can have on young people’s mental health, bullying is rarely defined or discussed as a traumatic experience. This may, in part, be because bullying and trauma come from different research traditions. However, in recent years, there has been a greater focus on aligning the two.

Therefore, and with support from the Mather Foundation, Kidscape commissioned us to undertake:
1. A literature review examining bullying as a traumatic experience.
2. Evaluate the use of a therapeutic intervention (delivered by the Counselling organisation Service Six) to reduce the impact of bullying on children and young people’s mental health. 

Report Launch Event
Our reports for Kidscape were launched on the 24th September 2024 at an online event. You can find links to our presentation and our reports below.

Reports
Noret, N., Miles., S., & Hejazi, H. (2025). Bullying & Trauma. Is bullying a traumatic experience for children and young people. Available to download here:

Noret, N., Miles., S., & Hejazi, H. (2024). The Trauma of Bullying: Evaluating the impact of a trauma-informed therapeutic intervention to support children who have been chronically bullied in school.. Available to download here:

World Anti-Bullying Forum, 2025

The findings of this project were presented at the World Anti-Bullying Forum in Stavanger in June 2025. A copy of the slides can be found below.

Workshop on Aggression, 2024
The key findings from this research was presented at the Workshop on Aggression in Nottingham in November 2024. A copy of the slides can be found below.

Journal Article

Noret, N., Hejazi, H., Wilson, K., Timms, P., Fuller, K., & Lambe, Y. (2024). The trauma of bullying: Evaluating the impact of a trauma-informed therapeutic intervention to support children who have been chronically bullied in school. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools. https://doi.org/10.1177/20556365251321846

Or access the open version here: