Bullying and psychoactive substance use during adolescence: a systematic review

Bullying and psychoactive substance abuse are prevalent phenomena among adolescents and identified as health problems that may jeopardise the development of all those involved. This systematic review of the literature aims to identify the extent to which involvement in bullying and psychoactive substance use during adolescence are associated, as well as check for differences regarding the social roles of bullying. From the search for empirical articles published between January 2009 and December 2014 in seven electronic databases, 585 records were identified. After the criteria for inclusion and exclusion were applied, the remaining 40 studies were analyzed based on the design, characteristics of the sample and results of the relationship between bullying and psychoactive substance use. Most studies are quantitative and cross-sectional, and they showed mixed samples of boys and girls in the school environment, which was the place where the phenomena are studied by preference. The association between the perpetration of bullying and psychoactive substance use for adolescents of both sexes is revealed. In relation to victimization by bullying, it was not possible to determine the direction and characterization of the relationship with psychoactive substance use.