INTRODUCTION: The present study examines bullying and its psychological consequences in school age children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
METHOD: The sample consisted of 34 children with ADHD and 36 children without ADHD. Continuity of bullying and victimization and their relationship with psychological problems and quality of life (QoL) were examined at two time points (T1 and T2) with one-year interval.
RESULTS: Children with ADHD experienced significantly more bullying and victimization than controls at both times. There was a marginally significant positive relationship between victimization scores at T1 and internalizing problems at T2 for the total sample. For both groups separately, victimization scores at T2 was significantly related with QoL and internalizing problems at T2.
DISCUSSION: School-age children with ADHD are at risk for bullying and victimization and their short-term negative effects. Timely interventions should be used to overcome the possible negative effects of peer victimization.