Relationship Between School Bullying Victimization and Social Attachment Patterns in Adulthood

Bullying has long-lasting consequences for mental and physical health as well as relationships, but little is known about how bullying experiences at school-age impact social behaviors–and particularly social attachment–in adulthood. This qualitative study investigates the relationship between experiencing school bullying and social attachment patterns in early adulthood. The analysis comprises a retrospective study of young adults in Poland (n = 20) who were interviewed to investigate possible connections between their peer bullying experiences and current social lives. The findings reveal three major social attachment patterns in adulthood: social cushioning, anxious withdrawal, and desperate friendship-seeking. In the first pattern, a person acquires emotional and social security through attachment to a small peer circle. In the second, a young adult prefers solitude or limited social contact to avoid further negative experiences. In the third, a person seeks to be socially recovered and approved despite multiple failures and rejections.