Bullies can affect their victims even after they have gone their separate ways. Its effects can still be felt by victims even during their college years.
USA Today College reported that data by the National Center for Education Statistics found that about one in four K-12 students will experience bullying. While it becomes slightly lesser in college, at 15 percent, its effects still affect victims.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, victims of bullying suffer from anxiety, depression and a low sense of self-worth. Bullies are also affected later in life as they are at higher risks of academic problems, substance use and violent behavior.
"It really started to impact me," Amie Kurtz, now a sophomore at Grand Valley State University, shared about her experience in high school. "I would not go to school, or get a text from them and leave class and go to the bathroom and cry. Since I stopped going to school, my grades dropped. It was awful."
Kurtz added that her self-esteem was affected the most. While she admits that "it sucked," she revealed that it did make her stronger.
Dr. Marlene Seltzer, the head of a bullying mediation and education center out of Beaumont Children's Hospital in Michigan, noted that bullying is a mental health issue. "Unfortunately we know the impact of bullying on a student's physical and mental health has been shown into their young adult phase," she said.
She recommended that universities should have a solid counseling center as well as plenty of national resources to help its students deal with bullied students. Consequences of bullying can range from depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and depending on the individual's role, PTSD, eating disorders and obesity.
This could be one of the factors that sparked the debate on whether there should be trigger warnings and safe spaces in colleges. The University of Chicago stirred up controversy when Dean John Ellison revealed that their students should not expect trigger warnings at the institution.
