Schoeler T, et al. - Analyzing data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a population-based birth cohort study, researchers sought individual vulnerabilities and characteristics linked with exposure to bullying in childhood and adolescence. Genetic proxies that indexed vulnerabilities and traits were derived using 35 polygenic scores. In this cohort study, genotyping 5,028 individuals revealed the largest connections were between exposure to bullying and genetic vulnerabilities for mental health problems (eg, diagnosis of depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Outcomes thereby suggest that for exposure to bullying, mental health vulnerabilities and other individual traits are risk factors. Addressing preexisting vulnerabilities in prevention programs may improve long-term outcomes in children and adolescents at risk for experiencing bullying, as it may help break a cycle of repeated exposure to bullying.