Losing a parent may increase children's risk of being bullied

Losing a parent or caregiver at any age is a traumatic and emotional experience, but when a child loses a parent, it can profoundly affect their development and well-being throughout multiple stages of their life. 

A new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) found that youth who experienced the death of a parent were more likely to be victims of bullying. 

Published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, the study surveyed 21,000 children in China and found that the association between parental bereavement and school bullying varied by sex of the child and deceased parent, age when the death occurred, and geographical area. Adolescents in rural areas, girls, and older youth (ages 13-17) were at higher risk of bullying after either parent died. 

“Childhood parental death is a major traumatic experience that significantly increases the risk of other adverse outcomes, including bullying victimization,” says study senior and co-corresponding author Dr. Ziming Xuan, professor of community health sciences at BUSPH. 

Maternal death raised this risk specifically among male youth, “suggesting that maternal support may play a uniquely protective role in the lives of sons,” he says.

Parental support can heavily shape children’s physical, mental, economic, and social well-being, all of which can influence how they interact with classmates and navigate relationships in school. 

For the study, Dr. Xuan and colleagues from BUSPH and Kunming Medical University (KMU) in Kunming, Yunnan, China, utilized 2019-2021 data from the Mental Health Survey for Children and Adolescents, a large, ongoing study that assesses the mental health of more than 35,000 children in southwestern China. The participants were ages 10-17.

Among the study group, nearly three percent of participants experienced a parental death and more than 15 percent reported that they were being bullied at school. The majority of parental deaths in China during this study period occurred before the COVID-19 pandemic began, but an estimated eight million children under 18 worldwide have lost a parent or primary caregiver to a pandemic-related cause. In the US, more than four percent of children up to 17 years old had lost at least one parent in 2021. 

The researchers hope this data informs tailored support for youth who are mourning a parent.

“Effective interventions to reduce the risk of school bullying among bereaved children should be multi-layered and long-term, addressing both emotional and social dimensions of support,” says Dr. Xuan. “This can include personalized counseling, active involvement of remaining caregivers or extended family, and programs tailored to developmental stage and cultural context.”

This support should also evolve over time, as children’s needs change during the bereavement process, he adds. “In schools, educators and staff should be trained to recognize signs of grief and vulnerability and foster inclusive, empathetic environments. A warm, caring school climate can be especially critical in reducing the risk of bullying and promoting resilience among bereaved youth.”

The study’s co-lead authors were Hailiang Ran, a visiting KMU School of Public Health doctoral student in the Department of Community Health Sciences at SPH, and Dr. Jin Lu, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at The First Affiliated Hospital of KMU. The co-corresponding author is Dr. Yuanyuan Xiao, a professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics at KMU’s School of Public Health.  

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About Boston University School of Public Health 

Founded in 1976, Boston University School of Public Health is one of the top ten ranked schools of public health in the world. It offers master's- and doctoral-level education in public health. The faculty in six departments conduct policy-changing public health research around the world, with the mission of improving the health of populations—especially the disadvantaged, underserved, and vulnerable—locally and globally.