Childhood victims of bullying—along with bullies themselves—are far more likely to develop psychiatric problems than their peers, according to a study published recently in JAMA Psychiatry. Sometimes those problems can take years to surface. “We were able to say being a victim of bullying is having an effect a decade later, above and beyond other psychiatric problems in childhood and other adversities,” says lead author William E. Copeland, who is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University. The study assessed more than 1,400 subjects, checking in on their mental health for more than a decade. Researchers found that those who were bullied as children were 4.3 times more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders as adults, whereas bullies were 14.5 times more likely to have panic disorders and 4.8 times more likely to be depressed. (New York Times)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.