Mental Health Effects of Bullying in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities: A Systematic Review

Individuals with intellectual disabilities are at higher risk of bullying than their peers without such disabilities. Bullying occurrence tends to encourage over time. However, individuals with intellectual disabilities are often less prospective to seek help. Therefore, educators, caregivers, and mental health practitioners to be aware of bullying risk and psychological effects. However, few studies have investigated the specific consequences of bullying on the mental health of these individuals. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the impacts of bullying frequency and severity on the mental health profiles of individuals with intellectual disabilities; considering so symptoms of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Cross-sectional observational and longitudinal cohort studies were identified using American Psychological Association (APA) PsycInfo, MEDLINE Complete and Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection databases and reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. Our review revealed that bullying contributes to anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. Furthermore, these negative effects increase as the frequency and severity of bullying episodes does. These results underscore the importance of early detection and intervention.