Study: Bullies May Abuse Partners Later

Boys who bully others may be more likely to grow up and abuse their wives and girlfriends, a study finds. Researchers surveyed 1,491 men who visited 3 health centers. They were 18 to 35 years old. They were asked about whether they had bullied other kids growing up. They also were asked about any sexual and physical abuse of a female partner. About 16% had committed any violence of this type in the last year. Men who had bullied others often as children were almost 6 times as likely to abuse a partner as men who had not bullied at all. Researchers also asked the men whether they been exposed to violence at home or in the community, or been abused or bullied themselves. These factors can affect whether a man is likely to abuse women. Researchers adjusted their numbers to try to exclude the effects of these factors.