Peer victimization and suicidal ideation: The role of gender and depression in a school-based sample

Self-mutilation: a systematic review

Self-mutilation lesions can represent a clinical diagnosis challenge for healthcare professionals, as patients do not admit to self-mutilation. This leads to failed diagnoses due to the similarity of this condition to other diseases. Searches on the subject were carried out at the PubMed, Periódicos Capes, Scopus, Science Direct and WoS databases, according to the following inclusion criteria: articles in English, Portuguese or Spanish, published from 2018 to June 2023, encompassing case reports, case series and literature reviews. Men are slight more affected by self-mutilation injuries, also presenting the most serious lesions. Self-mutilation injuries are reported globally, mostly in the Asian and American continents. Clinical presentations are varied, but morphology is, in most cases, associated to the form/instrument used for self-mutilation. Greater evidence of diagnosed mental disorders in women and underreporting of these cases in men due to low demands for specialized treatment are noted. A higher prevalence of self-mutilation lesions was verified for men, affecting a wide age range, with the highest number of cases in the USA. The most affected body areas are arms and external genitalia, mostly due to knife use. An association between self-mutilation injuries and mental disorders is clear, with most cases being previously undiagnosed.

Decoding the effects of varied peer victimization forms on depression and anxiety among Chinese adolescents: An exploration through latent transition analysis

This study aims to examine co-occurrence patterns of depression and anxiety among Chinese adolescents and their associations with various forms of peer victimization. We collected longitudinal data from 1005 middle school students using the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Then we conducted latent profile analysis, latent transition analysis, and logistic regression analysis. The results reveal the presence of three depression-anxiety profiles among participants: low depression-anxiety group, moderate depression-anxiety group, and high depression-anxiety group. As verbal and relational victimization increase, adolescents are more likely to transition to a higher level of depression-anxiety profile. However, an increase in physical and property victimization predicts a transition to a lower level of depression-anxiety profile. The diverse effects resulting from different forms of victimization exhibit gender differences. For boys, an increase in relational victimization made participants in the moderate depression-anxiety group more likely to transition to the high depression-anxiety group, whereas this effect was not significant among girls. This study is theoretically significant for understanding the link between depression, anxiety, and their influencing factors. It suggests that educators, while addressing verbal and relational harm in adolescents, should reconsider the potential impact of physical and property harm. Opportunities to transform negative events into positive ones should be explored. Educators should tailor their focus based on gender, with a particular emphasis on addressing relational harm among male students. This underscores the need for differentiated approaches to effectively support students.

The relationship between cyberbullying perpetration/victimization and suicidal ideation in healthy young adults: the indirect effects of positive and negative psychotic experiences

BACKGROUND

Even though not all cyber bullies or victims think of (or consider) suicide, they clearly appear to be at an increased risk. One possible strategy to reduce suicide risk is to decrease cyberbullying occurrence; but this approach has its limitations, as it is certainly an illusion to believe that cyberbullying could be controlled or eliminated in a digitalized world. Another alternative and interesting strategy is to consider mediating factors that may indirectly affect suicidality. To this end, our purpose was to test the hypothesis that positive and negative psychotic experiences (PEs) mediate the relationship from cyberbullying perpetration/victimization to suicidal ideation (SI).

METHOD

The study followed a cross-sectional design, and was conducted during the period from June to September 2022. A total of 3103 healthy community participants from Lebanon were included (mean age 21.73 ± 3.80 years, 63.6% females).

RESULTS

After adjusting over potential confounders, mediation analysis models showed that both positive and negative PEs partially mediated the associations between cyberbullying victimization/perpetration and SI. Higher cyberbullying perpetration and victimization were significantly associated with greater positive and negative PEs; more severe positive and negative PEs were significantly associated with higher levels of SI. Higher cyberbullying victimization and perpetration were significantly and directly associated with higher levels of SI.

CONCLUSION

In light of our preliminary findings, there appears to be an urgent need for a new focus on carefully assessing and addressing attenuated psychotic symptoms in healthy individuals engaged in cyberbullying either as victims or bullies and who present with SI. It is important that school counselors and decision-makers consider a holistic approach taking into account both external/environmental (bullying) and internal/individual (PEs) factors in their suicide prevention programs. Future longitudinal research in larger samples are still required to confirm our findings and further elucidate the mechanisms underlying the relationship between cyberbullying and suicide.

Does the need for uniqueness lead to non-suicidal self-injury? The mediation of depression and the moderation of gender

Objective

Based on the integrated theoretical model of the development and maintenance of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and gender role theory, this study investigated the longitudinal impact of the need for uniqueness on NSSI among adolescents, and the mediating role of depression and the moderating role of gender.

Participants

A total of 1,166 middle school students (Mean age = 13.04, SDage = 0.78, range = 11-16) from a city in central China was recruited to complete the Need for Uniqueness Scale, Depression Scale, and Adolescent Self-Injury Questionnaire at two waves. The participants included 475 boys and 457 girls.

Methods

Convenience sampling was used, and a longitudinal study (2 time points with a 6-month interval) was conducted to test our hypotheses. SPSS 25.0 was used to evaluate reliability, and to calculate descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation. PROCESS version 3 was used to test longitudinal relationships among the need for uniqueness, depression and NSSI, and construct a moderated mediation model.

Results

Results revealed that T1 need for uniqueness in adolescents was significantly positively associated with T2 NSSI and T2 depression, and T2 depression was significantly positively associated with T2 NSSI. After controlling for gender, T1 need for uniqueness positively predicted T2 NSSI. Furthermore, the mediation analysis demonstrated that the pathway linking T1 need for uniqueness to T2 NSSI through T2 depression was statistically significant. Moreover, gender moderated the indirect effect from T2 depression to T2 NSSI in the association between T1 need for uniqueness and T2 NSSI. Compared to boys in the same situation, girls who are susceptible to depression were more likely to commit NSSI.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that the need for uniqueness in adolescents longitudinally predicts NSSI through the mediating role of depression and gender moderates the indirect effect from depression to NSSI. The current study not only suggests that the need for uniqueness is a risk factor for NSSI among adolescents, but also provides an empirical basis for the prevention and intervention of NSSI.

Non-Disclosure and Suicidal Ideation in Adolescent Victims of Bullying: An Analysis from the Family and School Context

In recent years, suicide rates among bullying victims have raised much concern among educators and health professionals. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of preventable death among adolescents, data that warn about the need to monitor the signs before victims' suicidal behavior to prevent this fatal outcome. In the present study, the role of victims' silence about their victimization situation was analysed, as well as the particular impact of family and school environments. More specifically, we examined the mediating role of the victim's non-disclosure between the parental styles (observing the father's and mother's roles separately) and the school climate, concerning suicidal ideation in victims. The sample consisted of 2,977 adolescents (48.5% boys), aged 11-17 years (M = 14.1, SD = 1.42), of whom 635 (21.3%) reported having been victims of bullying in the past year. The results showed that parental styles of rejection and indifference were positively related to victims' non-disclosure of bullying and suicidal ideation. Conversely, a positive school climate showed a negative relationship with victims' disclosure of the bullying situation and suicidal ideation. The findings also indicated that non-disclosure mediates the relationship between the mother's parental style and suicidal ideation. These findings expand knowledge about the role of bullying victims' social context and the variable disclosure with regards to suicidal ideation in adolescents victimized by peers at school.

The association between victimization experiences and suicidality: The mediating roles of sleep and depression

BACKGROUND

Prior work suggests that multiple forms of victimization were associated with higher suicide risk among adolescents. However, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. The present study aimed to understand the relationships between the multiple forms of victimization and suicidality by examining the potential mediators of sleep duration and depression.

METHODS

Data for this study came from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The hypothesized mediation model included 13,677 American adolescents in 9th through 12th-grade students (48.6 % female) were analyzed using Mplus 7.4, and suicidality (including suicidal ideation, plan, and attempts) as the outcome variables and the multiple forms of victimization (including bullying at school, being threatened at school, electronic bullying, sexual victimization, sexual dating victimization, and physical dating victimization) as the main explanatory variable.

RESULTS

The relationships between the multiple forms of victimization and suicide risk were mediated by sleep duration, depression, and also serially mediated by sleep duration and depression.

LIMITATIONS

This is a cross-sectional study, and the results cannot inform the causality between these variables. This investigation only included adolescent sleep duration, and other specific sleep problem indicators should be included.

CONCLUSIONS

Longer sleep duration is an important protective factor, pointing the way forward for developing suicide prevention strategies and targeted interventions for adolescents.

Witnessing cyberbullying and suicidal ideation among middle school students

Suicide is a significant public health concern school-aged youth. Although a growing body of literature has documented the association between cyberbullying and suicidal ideation, and the mediating effect of internalizing symptoms, there is no research to date examining the impact of witnessing cyberbullying and suicidal ideation. To address this gap, we conducted a cross-sectional study with middle school students (N = 130). Students completed questionnaires assessing witnessing cyberbullying, witnessing school bullying, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. We used structural equation modeling to test a mediational model in which we hypothesized internalizing symptoms would mediate the unique relationship between witnessing cyberbullying and suicidal ideation (i.e., controlling for witnessing school bullying). Results supported the mediational model, indicating the frequency of witnessing cyberbullying was positively related to internalizing symptoms, which in turn were related to higher levels of suicidal ideation. Findings suggest the importance of providing programs to support middle school students who witness cyberbullying to reduce the mental health risks (i.e., internalizing symptoms and suicidal ideation) associated with being a cyberbullying bystander.

Emotional Loneliness, Suicidal Ideation, and Alexithymia in Adolescents Who Commit Child-to-Parent Violence

The objective of this research was to explore the relationship between involvement in child-to-parent violence (CPV) and the development of emotional loneliness, suicidal ideation, and alexithymia based on sex; 1,928 adolescents of both sexes participated (50.5% males and 49.5% females), aged between 12 and 18 years (M = 14. 67, SD = 1.77), enrolled in four educational centers in Spain. A multivariate analysis of variance (3 × 2 MANOVA) was applied using sex and CPV levels as independent variables. Univariate analyses were carried out to explore the significant relationships detected. Results showed that the adolescents with higher CPV scored higher in emotional loneliness, suicidal ideation, and alexithymia. Girls showed a greater prevalence of CPV at the medium and high levels. An interaction of sex and CPV with alexithymia was detected. Girls with high and moderate values of CPV presented a higher level of alexithymia. These results provide novel information in the field of CPV. Previous research has placed the main focus of analysis on the adolescents' behavior problems and not so much on their perceptions of personal adjustment and their emotional experiences. The information presented in this study contributes to achieve a more precise definition of the profile of adolescent who assault their parents for better prevention of CPV.

Major depressive disorder as a risk factor for suicidal ideation for attendees of educational institutions: a meta-analysis and meta-regression

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze the effect of major depressive disorder (MDD) as a risk factor for suicidal ideation in individuals whose ages varied from 11 to 24 years and who were attending educational institutions.

DATA SOURCE

A systematic review was carried out by searching in PubMed and Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS). Original studies conducted in educational institutions, including individuals whose age varied from 11 to 24 years, in English, Spanish, or Portuguese were included.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Eight studies were selected for the meta-analysis, including 35,443 youths, with an average age of 16.8 years, predominantly female (51.2%), and from middle-income Asian countries (91.6%). An odds ratio of MDD of 3.89 (95%CI 2.46-6.17) for suicide ideation in youth was found. Subgroup analysis showed higher effects in Asia (OR=4.71; 95%CI 3.22-6.89) than Americas (OR=1.71; 95%CI 1.44-2.03). The meta-regression model indicated that younger adolescents (coef=-0.63; 95%CI 1.09--0.18; p<0.01) and older studies (coef=-0.23; 95%CI 0.039--0.08; p<0.01) presented higher effects of MDD on suicidal ideation.

CONCLUSIONS

Early detection and treatment of MDD in youth patients are of utmost importance for preventing suicidal ideation. Educational institutions could play an important role in the early detection and intervention.

Suicide risk assessment and depressive symptoms among Spanish adolescent bully-victims: Evidence for the importance of emotional intelligence and sex

The aim of this study is to explore a model examining how emotional intelligence (EI), sex, depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STB) may interact. The sample included 380 Spanish adolescent bully-victims (61.6% boys; mean age = 14.38 years). The results indicated that EI is a significant negative predictor of decreased STB and that this relation is fully mediated by depressive symptoms. This effect was moderated by sex, such that the mediation is stronger for girls compared to boys. The promotion of EI may be core in the development of prevention programmes for suicide, especially among female bully-victims.

Traditional bullying and cyberbullying in the digital age and its associated mental health problems in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis

Bullying is a risk factor for the physical and mental health of adolescents. The advent of new technologies has resulted in a brand-new type of bullying, cyberbullying (CB). The co-occurring effects of cyberbullying and traditional bullying(TB) forms of bullying on adolescent mental health are unclear. We performed a meta-analysis to explore the unique and combined effects of CB and TB on adverse psychological outcomes in victims by conducting a joint study of both types of bullying. By doing so, we provide the basis for a comprehensive community bullying prevention program. The database PubMed, PsyclNFO, and Web of Science were searched for studies from 2010 to 2021. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline was followed for data abstraction, and the NIH tool was used to evaluate study-level risk of bias. 42 studies with 266,888 participants were identified. Random-Effect models were used for our study. The moderator analysis was used to explore the moderator of prevalence. Studies with three groups of victims (TB only, CB only, and Both) and two groups of victims (TB and CB) were compared in subgroup analysis. The mean victimization rate was 24.32% (95% CI 20.32-28.83%) for TB and 11.10% (95% CI 9.12-13.44%) for CB. Roughly one-third of TB victims were also victimized by CB. Conversely, only about one-third of CB victims were free from TB. The estimated ORs for depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and self-harm in the three-group (TB only, CB only and Both) analysis were: depression [TB only: 3.33 (2.22-5.00); CB only: 3.38 (2.57-4.46); Both: 5.30 (2.43-11.56)]; suicidal ideations [TB only: 3.08 (2.12-4.46); CB only: 3.52 (2.38-5.20); Both: 6.64 (4.14-10.64)]; self-harm [TB only: 2.70 (1.86-3.91); CB only: 3.57 (3.20-3.98); Both: 5.57 (2.11-16.00)]; and suicide attempts: [TB only: 2.61 (1.50-4.55); CB only: 3.52 (2.50-4.98); Both: 7.82 (3.83-15.93)]. TB and CB victimization among youth are a matter of public health concern. Victimization appears to be a marker of greater psychopathological severity, particularly suicide-related issues.

You Hurt Me, so I Hurt Myself and Others: How Does Childhood Emotional Maltreatment Affect Adolescent Violent Behavior and Suicidal Ideation?

Violent behavior and suicidal ideation are two major public health problems, with the former representing outward attack and the latter characterizing inward attack. The effects of emotional maltreatment in childhood will continue into adolescence. This study explores the impact of childhood emotional maltreatment on adolescent violent behavior/suicidal ideation and its mechanism. Participants were 3,600 adolescents (average age is 16.21 ± 0.99) from the middle east of China. They completed questionnaires measuring emotional maltreatment in childhood, deviant peer affiliation, depression, violent behavior, and suicidal ideation in adolescence. After controlling for demographic variables, we found that deviant peer affiliation and depression mediated between childhood emotional maltreatment and adolescent violent behavior/suicidal ideation. Multi-group analysis results showed that males' deviant peer affiliation would contribute to their violent behaviors. Among female groups, deviant peer affiliation and depression were risk factors for violent behavior and suicidal ideation. a) cross-sectional design was used in this study; b) all the measures were self-reported. Preventing emotional maltreatment in childhood can help reduce violent behavior and suicidal ideation by reducing deviant peer affiliation and depression in adolescence. Males who experienced emotional maltreatment in childhood are more likely to show violent behaviors shaped by external factors such as deviant peer affiliation. In contrast, females' interpersonal orientation and internalizing factors both influence their external and internal aggressive behaviors.

Investigating the relationship between bullying involvement and self-harmful thoughts and behaviour in young people: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

There is a complex and inconsistent relationship between bullying involvement and self-harmful thoughts and behaviour (SHTB) in young people. This novel systematic review aims to establish key interacting, moderating and mediating variables associated with SHTB in young people involved in bullying.

METHODS

The systematic review was registered with PROSPERO: CRD42020192023. A search was conducted (until February 2021) across databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO (Ovid), Cochrane Library, Scopus (Elsevier), Web of Science, ERIC and CINAHL (EBSCOhost). Observational studies containing quantitative primary or secondary data analyses were included in the review, on the basis that they examined interactions, moderators, or mediators between bullying involvement and SHTB in young people. Versions of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were used to assess risk of bias in the included studies.

RESULTS

A total of 57 studies were included. Overall, 3 studies identified interactions, 25 studies identified moderators and 21 studies identified mediators. 9 studies identified moderator-mediators. The findings were categorised as either self-harmful thoughts or self-harmful behaviours and synthesised under the following themes: socio-demographic; depression; parental; personality/psychological; and social/environmental.

LIMITATIONS

This review uncovered significant heterogeneity and a paucity of replicated studies in the field, therefore, tentative conclusions have been drawn.

CONCLUSIONS

This comprehensive review highlights the key role of depression as a mediator between traditional/cyber victimisation and SHTB in young people. The moderating effects of gender on mediation models investigating the role of depression suggest the possibility that females involved in bullying may be at increased suicide risk.

Posttraining Outcomes, Acceptability, and Technology-Based Delivery of the STAC Bystander Bullying Intervention Teacher Module: Mixed Methods Study

Background

Bullying is a significant problem for youth associated with wide-ranging negative consequences. Providing students who witness bullying with intervention strategies to act as defenders can reduce bullying and negative associated outcomes for both targets and bystanders. Educating teachers about bullying and training them to support students to intervene as defenders may increase the efficacy of bystander programs as teachers’ attitudes and responses to bullying relate to bystander behavior. This is particularly important in middle school, when bullying peaks and rates of reporting bullying to teachers begin to decline. Reducing implementation barriers, including limited time and resources, must also be considered, particularly for schools in low-income and rural areas. Technology-based programs can increase access and scalability but require participant buy-in for adoption.

Objective

We used a mixed methods design to inform the development of the STAC teacher module, a companion training to a brief bullying bystander intervention. STAC stands for the four bystander intervention strategies: Stealing the Show, Turning it Over, Accompanying Others, and Coaching Compassion. Objectives included examining the effectiveness of the STAC teacher module and informing the translation of the training into a technology-based format that can be used as a companion to the technology-based STAC.

Methods

A sample of 17 teachers recruited from 1 middle school in a rural, low-income community completed pre- and posttraining surveys assessing immediate outcomes (ie, knowledge, confidence, comfort, and self-efficacy), intention to use program strategies, and program acceptability and relevance, followed by a qualitative focus group obtaining feedback regarding program appropriateness, feasibility, content, perception of need, and desire for web-based training. Descriptive statistics, 2-tailed independent-sample t tests, and thematic analyses were used to analyze the data.

Results

Assessment of pre- and posttraining surveys indicated that teachers reported an increase in knowledge and confidence to support defenders, confidence and comfort in managing bullying, and bullying self-efficacy. Furthermore, most participants reported that they were likely or very likely to use STAC strategies to support students who intervene in bullying. Quantitative and qualitative data revealed that participants found the training easy to use, useful, relevant, and appropriate. Qualitative data provided feedback on ways of improving the program, including revising role-plays and guidance on understanding student behavior. Participants shared positive perceptions regarding program feasibility and need for bullying-specific prevention, the most significant barriers being cost and parent buy-in, suggesting the importance of including parents in the prevention process. Finally, participants shared the strengths of a web-based program, including ease of implementation and time efficiency, while indicating the importance of participant engagement and administration buy-in.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the STAC teacher module in increasing knowledge and bullying self-efficacy and provides support for developing the module, including key information regarding considerations for web-based translation.

Developmental Relations Between Bullying Victimization and Suicidal Ideation in Middle Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: Do Internalizing Problems and Substance Use Mediate Their Links?

Previous research has suggested that bullying victimization is associated with higher suicidal risk among young people; however, the mechanisms underlying this relation have not been well examined. The current study aimed to illuminate the developmental links between bullying victimization and suicidal ideation by examining the mediating roles of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and substance use. The study sample consisted of n = 1465 participants (51.7% male) from the normative z-proso study. Using random intercept cross-lagged panel models and three waves of longitudinal data (ages 15, 17, and 20), the hypothesized mediation effects at the within-person level were tested while partialling out between-person confounds. The results suggested that, at the within-person level, bullying victimization did not predict subsequent suicidal ideation via depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or substance use. However, age 15 bullying victimization predicted within-person increases in age 17 depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. In addition, depressive symptoms at age 15 and tobacco and cannabis use at age 17 were associated with within-person increases in bullying victimization at ages 17 and 20, respectively. The results also indicated that cannabis use and suicidal ideation were positively and reciprocally related over time. Future studies collecting data at multiple timescales are needed to understand proximal and longer-term mechanisms underlying the relation between bullying victimization and suicidality.

Adolescent Social Media Use: Pitfalls and Promises in Relation to Cybervictimization, Friend Support, and Depressive Symptoms

The saturation of social media use in adolescents' lives has raised questions about both the risks and positive outcomes that may be associated with use. This study filled this gap by examining longitudinal associations among active social media use and depressive symptoms for male and female adolescents and the mediating role of friend support and cybervictimization. These relations were investigated in a sample of 800 13-15-year-old (M = 14.45) adolescents (57% female, 81% White) across four waves of data over two years. The results indicated that higher levels of active social media use led to reduced depressive symptoms for female adolescents, while active social media use predicted more cybervictimization for male adolescents. In contrast, cybervictimization predicted higher levels of active social media use for female adolescents. Friend support predicted more active social media use for male and female adolescents. Overall, findings reveal a complex picture of social media use for both male and female adolescents and further research is needed which examines types of social media use and their associations with both online and offline experiences.

Systematic review of risk and protective factors for suicidal and self-harm behaviors among children and adolescents involved with cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is associated with increased risk of suicidal and self-harm behaviors in children and adolescents. However, no review to date has explored factors that exacerbate and mitigate this relationship. This systematic review concerns research on factors that influence the impact of cyberbullying on suicidal and self-harm behaviors. Four bibliographic databases were explored and references in included articles were searched. We identified 727 articles and retained 66 that met inclusion criteria. Research has identified multiple risk factors which have been associated with increased suicide risk in general (mental health problems, substance abuse, loneliness, stress, sexual orientation/gender identity issues and violent behaviors). Others risk factors more specific to cyberbullying were: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual and Developmental Disorders, obesity, having asthma and severity of cyberbullying. Fewer studies concern protective factors. School connectedness, restrictive style of parenting, parental support, life satisfaction, having a healthy diet, personal skills and having family dinners were associated with less risk of suicidal and self-harm behaviors following cyberbullying. These protective factors suggest prevention strategies to reduce the impacts of cyberbullying by teaching better personal skills, promoting school social connections and proposing family interventions. More research is needed including exploration of the differential impacts of different forms of cyberbullying, and evaluations of the impacts of programs to increase personal skills, improve family relationships and foster school connectedness to reducing suicidal and self-harm behaviors in this vulnerable population.

A Social-Ecological Approach to Understanding the Relationship between Cyberbullying Victimization and Suicidal Ideation in South Korean Adolescents: The Moderating Effect of School Connectedness

Background: Cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation are both ongoing deleterious social problems in South Korea. Using the social-ecological approach, this study examined the association between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation as well as the buffering role of school connectedness in this relationship. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 7333 adolescents from the 2016 Korean Children and Youth Right Study participated in the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Wald chi-square test, bivariate correlations, and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Nearly 17.7% of adolescents were cyberbullied, and 28.4% had suicidal ideation in the past 12 months. Cyberbullying victims were at an increased risk of suicidal ideation. The results also found that parental abuse, family dysfunction, and perceived peer relationship stress were positively associated with suicidal ideation, while parental support for autonomy was negatively associated with suicidal ideation. Further, school connectedness moderated on the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and adolescent suicidal ideation. Conclusions: These findings suggest that various stakeholders should consider interventions and preventive programs that address school connectedness when working with adolescents who are victims of cyberbullying and exhibit suicidal behavior.

Resiliency in Young Adulthood and Associations among Retrospective Peer Victimization and Internalizing Problems

The social-ecological diathesis-stress model and related empirical work suggests that individuals who experienced peer victimization in childhood are at risk of revictimization and internalizing problems in young adulthood. The current study examined the association between retrospective and current reports of traditional and cyber victimization and internalizing problems, and the buffering effect of resiliency among 1141 young adults. Results indicated that retrospective traditional victimization was positively associated with current traditional and cyber victimization. Retrospective cyber victimization, however, was positively associated with current cyber victimization only. Retrospective traditional and cyber victimization were positively associated with internalizing problems while controlling for current victimization for both males and females. Resiliency buffered the positive association between retrospective cyber victimization, but not traditional victimization, and current internalizing problems. Findings suggest that retrospective accounts of peer victimization may have a lasting impact on symptoms of depression and anxiety for young adults, regardless of current victimization experiences. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the associations among revictimization and mental health, and potential buffering mechanisms, among young adults.

Validation of the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ-R) Among Adolescents in Chile

Bullying is a phenomenon that affects children and adolescents worldwide, and it has major consequences for all participants involved in these situations. In Chile, researchers have validated several instruments used to investigate aggression between peers and school violence, but there is a lack of validation of instruments to investigate bullying. The purpose of this study was to provide evidence of the validity and reliability of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire-Revised version (OBVQ-R) in the Chilean context. The participants were 2,775 students from schools of low, medium, and high socioeconomic status. OBVQ-R is a self-report questionnaire with 42 items, which has been used in different countries, and has adequate psychometric properties to assess the prevalence of victimization and aggression and various forms of bullying worldwide. Results confirmed the two-factor structure of the OBVQ-R (victimization and perpetration subscales) and good reliability (ω = 0.81 and ω = 0.75, respectively). These dimensions seem to be correlated. Comparison between OBVQ-R with the School Violence between Peers Questionnaire and the Internet Experiences Questionnaire showed some degree of agreement. The Item Response Theory analysis showed that the item about verbal bullying, in both subscales, had the lowest-severity parameters, meaning that these forms of bullying were the most prevalent. The higher-severity parameter in the victimization scale was the cyberbullying item, and the sexual bullying item showed higher severity in the perpetration subscale. The differential item functioning analysis by gender showed a trend in which boys responded with lower-severity parameters than girls. In the victimization scale, the exception was the item about spreading rumors, and in the perpetration subscale, it was the item about racial bullying. We have provided evidence of the validation of OBVQ-R among school-age children and adolescents in Chile. This study is part of a trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02898324.

Social Media Use and Mental Health and Well-Being Among Adolescents - A Scoping Review

Introduction: Social media has become an integrated part of daily life, with an estimated 3 billion social media users worldwide. Adolescents and young adults are the most active users of social media. Research on social media has grown rapidly, with the potential association of social media use and mental health and well-being becoming a polarized and much-studied subject. The current body of knowledge on this theme is complex and difficult-to-follow. The current paper presents a scoping review of the published literature in the research field of social media use and its association with mental health and well-being among adolescents. Methods and Analysis: First, relevant databases were searched for eligible studies with a vast range of relevant search terms for social media use and mental health and well-being over the past five years. Identified studies were screened thoroughly and included or excluded based on prior established criteria. Data from the included studies were extracted and summarized according to the previously published study protocol. Results: Among the 79 studies that met our inclusion criteria, the vast majority (94%) were quantitative, with a cross-sectional design (57%) being the most common study design. Several studies focused on different aspects of mental health, with depression (29%) being the most studied aspect. Almost half of the included studies focused on use of non-specified social network sites (43%). Of specified social media, Facebook (39%) was the most studied social network site. The most used approach to measuring social media use was frequency and duration (56%). Participants of both genders were included in most studies (92%) but seldom examined as an explanatory variable. 77% of the included studies had social media use as the independent variable. Conclusion: The findings from the current scoping review revealed that about 3/4 of the included studies focused on social media and some aspect of pathology. Focus on the potential association between social media use and positive outcomes seems to be rarer in the current literature. Amongst the included studies, few separated between different forms of (inter)actions on social media, which are likely to be differentially associated with mental health and well-being outcomes.

Encounter with Bullying in Sport and Its Consequences for Youth: Amateur Athletes' Approach

In recent years, the problem of bullying, existing in sport and arising in athletes’ relationships, is increasingly emphasized. The aim of this research was to reveal the specificity of bullying in athletes’ interrelationships by elaborating on causes of its emergence, nature of actions, and its consequences. To achieve the research aim, a qualitative research paradigm was chosen. The theoretical part of the research was prepared by applying the methods of scientific literature analysis and analogy. The empirical study involved seven organized sports athletes representing individual, duel, and team sports branches, belonging to the young adult age category. The survey was conducted using the semi-structured interview method. Data were analyzed employing the conceptual content analysis. Emic and etic perspectives were used for data processing. Research results revealed that the specificity of manifestation of bullying in sport unfolded through three generalized categories: intolerable perception of behavior, nature of bullying, and bipolarity of consequences. Every category was detailed by sub-categories, highlighting the nature, causes, and consequences of bullying accepted by athletes in the contexts of their emotional state and career. We found that the factors falling into these categories were interrelated and supplemented each other; therefore, they should be analyzed in a complex way, as bullying is determined not by some single factor but by the totality of them, functioning as a kind of well-established flawed tradition supported by the cultures of the sports organization and the sport.

How to Stop Victims' Suffering? Indirect Effects of an Anti-Bullying Program on Internalizing Symptoms

Victims of bullying and cyberbullying present internalizing problems, such as anxiety, psychosomatic and depressive symptoms, and are at higher risk of considering or attempting suicide. Researchers have put great effort into developing interventions able to stop bullying and cyberbullying, and thus buffering possible negative consequences. Despite this, only a few of them have investigated the effects of these programs on the psychological suffering of the victims. The NoTrap! program is an Italian evidence-based intervention able to reduce victimization, bullying, cybervictimization and cyberbullying. The aim of the present study is to analyze whether the NoTrap! program can reduce internalizing symptoms through the decrease in both victimization and cybervictimization. Participants were 622 adolescents, enrolled in the 9th grade of eight high schools in Tuscany (experimental group: N = 451; control group: N = 171). We collected data at three time points: pre-, mid- and post-intervention. Using latent growth curve models, we found that the program significantly predicted the change in internalizing symptoms over time. Furthermore, the mediation model showed that only the indirect effect via cybervictimization was significant. In summary, the program reduced internalizing symptoms within the experimental group successfully, through the decrease in cybervictimization more so than through the mediational effect of decreasing victimization.

When and How Do Emotional Intelligence and Flourishing Protect against Suicide Risk in Adolescent Bullying Victims?

This study contributes to current knowledge on the protective role of emotional intelligence and flourishing in cases of suicide risk (namely depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation) in a sample of adolescent victims of traditional bullying. The proposed model tested the mediator role of flourishing in the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and suicide risk together with the moderating effect of EI in the relationship between low flourishing and increased suicide risk. Considering an initial sample of 1847 adolescents (52.5% female), a subsample of 494 pure bullying victims (61.3% female) took part in this research. The main results showed EI to be linked to decreased suicide risk through levels of flourishing. Moreover, EI buffered the relationship between low flourishing and the associated suicide risk. Victimized adolescents with both low levels of EI and of flourishing reported higher levels of suicide risk than their counterparts with high EI levels. This suggests the protective role of EI of both predicting higher flourishing and reducing the likelihood of suicide risk among victimized adolescents with low levels of flourishing. Finally, the practical implications of these novel findings regarding the role of EI and flourishing in the prevention of suicide risk among victimized adolescents are discussed.

Being Bullied at School: Gratitude as Potential Protective Factor for Suicide Risk in Adolescents

Bullying victimization has been recognized as a risk factor for social, physical, and psychological problems in adolescence. One promising resource that seems to protect adolescents from adversity and traumatic events is gratitude. However, no analysis of the specific role of gratitude in bullying context has been performed as yet. Thus, the aim of this research was to explore the associations between bullying victimization, gratitude and suicide risk (i.e., depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviors) and gender-based differences. We also investigated whether levels of gratitude moderated the relationship between victimization and suicide risk for girls and boys. A convenience sample of 1,617 adolescents (50.5% girls; M age = 14.02) participated in this research. Adolescents completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire about their bullying victimization, gratitude, depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Gratitude was found to be negatively related to victimization and suicide risk. While no gender differences were found in gratitude, it was observed that girls reported higher levels of suicide risk. However, the victimization × gratitude interaction contributed to variance in suicide risk, but only for girls: Those girls who were victims of bullying with high gratitude scores reported lower suicide risk than their counterparts who showed less gratitude. Thus, the findings from this present cross-sectional study suggest that gratitude is related to suicide risk in the context of bullying victimization, especially among adolescent girls. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of our novel contributions to the understanding of gratitude as a protective factor against consequences of bullying victimization are discussed.

What bridges the gap between emotional intelligence and suicide risk in victims of bullying? A moderated mediation study

BACKGROUND

Recent research has demonstrated that victims of bullying report serious problems, such as depression, which heighten the risk of suicide. Emotional intelligence (EI) has been increasingly recognized as a protective factor, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying the relation between EI and suicide risk in victims. This study aimed to test a theoretical model of how EI, depressive symptoms and gender interact to influence suicidal ideation and attempts in a sample of Spanish victims of bullying.

METHODS

The sample comprised 465 victims (273 girls) who completed self-report measures of perceived EI, depression and suicide risk.

RESULTS

Mediation and moderation analyses were performed using conditional process analysis. Findings showed that EI is a predictor of decreased suicide in victims. This relationship was partially mediated by depressive symptoms. Furthermore, this effect was moderated by gender, such that the mediation effect was stronger in girls compared to boys (moderated mediation).

LIMITATIONS

The cross-sectional design and the use of self-report instruments. Future research should address the longitudinal relations of these findings.

CONCLUSIONS

The promotion of emotional skills could be core to the development of suicide prevention programs in those high-risk adolescents who have suffered from bullying. Furthermore, gender should be taken into consideration, especially with regard to females reporting depressive symptoms related to having been bullied.