Child Maltreatment as a Risk Factor for Bullying: Implications for School Counselors

Child maltreatment (CM) is strongly associated with unfavorable physical and mental health outcomes in addition to the risk of exposure to other adversity and traumatic events across the lifespan. While prior research has demonstrated a significant association between CM and bullying, there is an absence of research devoted to specific types of CM as potential risk factors for bullying victimization, especially childhood psychological abuse. Most studies have failed to examine bullying across the collective educational experience (elementary, middle school/junior high, high school, and college). This study examined relationships between prior exposure to specific types of CM (psychological, physical, sexual abuse, and physical neglect) and eight different types of bullying experiences to determine whether certain types of CM increased risk for bullying exposure and victimization across educational stages. Our findings among 246 college students indicated CM as a risk factor for bullying exposure across all educational levels, with childhood psychological and physical abuse demonstrating the most robust relationships with each type of bullying exposure. Bullying exposure peaked during the middle school years. Further, those exposed to a moderate degree of CM were more likely to report bullying victimization in each category of bullying assessed. Implications for school counseling practice are discussed.