Self-reported bullying in childhood: Relationships with employment in adulthood

Abstract

Objective. To our knowledge, relationships between being bullied in childhood and employment functioning in adulthood have not been previously studied—hence the focus of the present study. Method. Using a cross-sectional approach and a self-report survey methodology in a consecutive sample of 328 internal medicine outpatients, we examined relationships between being bullied (i.e., have you ever been bullied, how many years, how many bullies) and history of employment (i.e., since age 18, number of full-time jobs, percentage of time employed, ever paid “under the table,” and ever fired). Results. Participants reporting a history of having been bullied reported a relatively greater number of different jobs as well as a greater likelihood of having been “paid under the table” and having been fired. While the number of years bullied evidenced no statistically significant correlations with employment variables, the number of different bullies was statistically significantly correlated with the number of different jobs held and ever having been fired. Conclusions. Findings indicate a relationship between being bullied in childhood and experiencing reduced employment viability in adulthood.