'The neurobiology of bullying victimization: Implications for mental health across the lifespan'
Dr. Tracy Vaillancourt
Mental health problems frequently begin in early adolescence and often persist across the lifespan, yet the developmental roots and enduring consequences of these issues remain underappreciated. The neurobiological consequences of bullying victimization and their implications for mental health from a lifespan development perspective is examined. Drawing on longitudinal data and contemporary genetic, epigenetic, and neurobiological research, I demonstrate how early social adversity (i.e., bullying victimization), alters biological systems involved in stress regulation. These biological changes can contribute to poor mental health trajectories that span from childhood into adulthood, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, suicidality, and reduced socioeconomic functioning decades later. I advocate for a lifespan approach to mental health prevention and intervention, one that recognizes bullying victimization not as an isolated event, but as a developmental insult with lasting neurobiological, psychological, and economic consequences.