School bullying victimization-associated anxiety in Chinese children and adolescents: the mediation of resilience

The chain mediating effect of anxiety and inhibitory control between bullying victimization and internet addiction in adolescents

Although some studies have revealed the association between bullying victimization and internet addiction in adolescents, the mediating and moderating factors between the two need to be further discussed. This study aimed to discuss the chain mediating role of anxiety and inhibitory control between bullying victimization and internet addiction among Chinese adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted in seven schools in five provinces of China by convenience sampling from February to March 2024. A total of 1673 participants (695 boys and 978 girls) with an average age of 15.86 ± 0.74 years were included in this study. Subjective data on bullying victimization, internet addiction, anxiety, inhibitory control were collected and analyzed, and a mediation model test was carried out. After controlling for age and gender, bullying victimization was found to be a significant predictor of internet addiction (β = 0.098, p < 0.001). However, when anxiety and inhibitory control were added, the predictive effect was no longer significant (β = 0.006, p > 0.05). Bullying victimization can predict internet addiction through anxiety and inhibitory control. It is suggested that guardians should provide adequate support to adolescent bullying victims in order to reduce the negative impact of bullying victimization on adolescents and prevent the occurrence of internet addiction.

Prevalence and associated factors of school bullying among adolescents in Inner Mongolia, China

Background

Although studies in China have found that school bullying is prevalent among adolescents, most relevant research has focused on southern China, while research in northern China is limited. This study aimed to explore ethnic disparities in the socio-demographic determinants of school bullying in Inner Mongolia, a northern region of China.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2891 adolescents in Inner Mongolia, China, from September to December 2022. Data on participants' sociodemographic characteristics and school bullying experiences were collected through questionnaires. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, stratified by ethnicity, were employed to examine factors associated with school bullying. Furthermore, subgroup analyses and interaction tests were conducted to explore potential effect modifiers of the relationship between ethnicity and bullying.

Results

The prevalence of school bullying was 18.99 % (549/2891) overall, with 17.96 % (420/2339) among Han and 23.37 % (129/552) among ethnic minorities. Minority adolescents faced a higher risk of bullying compared to Han (OR = 1.35, 95 % CI: 1.08-1.69, P < 0.05). Middle school students were more vulnerable to bullying than high school students (OR = 1.25, 95%CI:1.03-1.52, P < 0.05). Among Han adolescents, having a mother with high school education was protective against bullying (OR = 0.71, 95 % CI: 0.54-0.93, P < 0.05), while it was an associated factor for minorities (OR = 2.06, 95%CI:1.23-3.46, P < 0.05). Good family economic status was an associated factor for bullying among Han (OR = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.11-2.36, P < 0.05), but not among minorities. Belonging to other family structures (remarriage/foster family, intergenerational families, live with relatives and elders) was an associated factor for minorities (OR = 2.60, 95 % CI: 1.37-4.92, P < 0.05), but not for Han. Subgroup analyses revealed significant ethnic disparities in bullying experiences among middle school students, those from nuclear family, other family, and fair economic backgrounds (all P < 0.05). Interaction effects between ethnicity and these variables were not significant (all P > 0.05).

Limitations

This cross-sectional study has limitations in establishing causal relationships between identified associated factors and school bullying.

Conclusions

Ethnic minority adolescents in Inner Mongolia, China, especially middle school students, face a higher risk of school bullying than their Han peers. The differential impact of maternal education, family economic status, and family structure on bullying risk between Han and minority adolescents underscores the need for culturally sensitive, targeted interventions that consider the unique challenges faced by ethnic minority students.

The association between expressive suppression and anxiety in Chinese left-behind children in middle school: serial mediation roles of psychological resilience and self-esteem

BACKGROUND

Left-behind children (LBC) have become a special population to be concerned due to the negative consequences of parental absence during their physical and psychological development in China. Expressive suppression (ES) is a response-focused emotion regulation and may be frequently used by LBC to suppress their emotions resulting in different forms of internalizing problems. The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of ES as an emotion regulation strategy on anxiety in Chinese left-behind children in middle school (LBC-MS) by considering the mediating role(s) of psychological resilience and self-esteem.

METHODS

820 middle school students aged between 12 and 17 years from a middle school in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, participated in the study. Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents (RSCA), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES) were administered. Variables measured using the above scales in left-behind children in middle school (LBC-MS) and non-left-behind children in middle school (non-LBC-MS) were compared, and descriptive statistics were used to present the overall characteristics. Then the PROCESS macro of SPSS was used to conduct regression-based statistical mediation for the data of 211 left-behind children.

RESULTS

This study revealed that LBC-MS had higher anxiety and ES scores and lower psychological resilience and self-esteem scores than non-LBC-MS (Ps < 0.01). ES was found positively associated with anxiety in LBC-MS and negatively associated with psychological resilience and self-esteem (Ps < 0.05 - 0.01). Specifically, both psychological resilience and self-esteem significantly mediated the association between ES and anxiety, accounting for 7.50% and 10.68%, respectively, of the total associations. Moreover, psychological resilience and self-esteem had a chain mediating effect between ES and anxiety in LBC-MS.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicated that LBC-MS in China may frequently engage in the use of ES which correlated with higher level of anxiety. Psychological interventions should be dedicated to this underserved group. Intervention approaches that improve emotion regulation strategies (i.e., decrease the use of ES) and increase psychological resilience and self-esteem may help to alleviate anxiety in LBC-MS.

The Resilience Factor: Examining its Potential to Alleviate Shame and Guilt in School Bullying

School violence, in particular bullying by peers, has become a problem on the public agenda. In the context of bullying, children exposed report high levels of shame and guilt which increase victimization since involves a humiliating experience associated with the lack of acceptance by the peer group and can negatively affect mental health. Both emotions have been previously studied in peer violence context. Now we aim to examine resilience as a potential factor to alleviate shame and guilt in school bullying. We conducted a study to test if resilience mediates the feeling of shame and guilt effect of being exposed to bullying; that is, if resilience entails protective behaviors that favour the dissipation of the risk of feeling shame and guilt when exposed to direct violence in school. First, we adapted to Mexican Spanish the research instrument Short Version of the State Shame and Guilt Scale (SSGS-8, Cavalera et al., 2017)-; then we conducted a quantitative, explanatory, cross-sectional approach study; both were carried out in two different non-urban high schools near the city of Monterrey, Mexico, randomizing groups. We found through a moderated mediation analysis that resilience is a key piece to transform shame and practically alleviate negative school violence consequences the indirect effect of resilience on the relationship between direct violence in school and shame was moderated by gender, better for boys than for girls. As its presence restrain shame in those who have been exposed to direct violence in school, it is important to strengthen resilience in adolescents. Promoting the development of shame resilience in adolescents is crucial to prevent them from questioning whether something is wrong with them when exposed to violence. We must continue making efforts to eradicate violence in schools through prevention programs and public policies.

Social anxiety mediates between victimization experiences and internet addiction among adolescents: results from propensity score matching

Background

Previous research has indicated that Victimization Experiences (VE) may be linked to a heightened likelihood of developing psychological symptoms and Internet Addiction (IA) among adolescents. However, the precise mechanism through which VE contributes to IA in adolescents remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate whether Social Anxiety (SA) serves as a mediation between VE and IA, utilizing the framework of General Strain Theory.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey among 11 middle schools or high schools in Macao was conducted from October to December 2022. Respondents in the victimized group and non-victimized group were 1:1 paired using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to control the potential confounding factors.

Results

A total of 1,089 questionnaires were valid for analysis and 311 pairs were generated through PSM. Respondents in the victimized group reported significantly higher IA than those in non-victimized group (23.5% vs. 12.5%, p < 0.001) after PSM treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that VE (p = 0.015, OR = 1.750, 95% CI = 1.115 to 2.746, E-value = 2.90) and SA (p < 0.001, OR = 1.052, 95% CI = 1.030 to 1.074, E-value = 1.29) were the predictors of IA. The model successfully classified 81.7% of cases overall (R 2 N = 0.133). Further analysis indicated that SA mediates between VE and IA (Z = 3.644, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study revealed the potential mediation effect of SA on the link between VE and IA. By acknowledging the mediating influence of SA, researchers and practitioners can develop more accurate and effective strategies to mitigate Internet Addiction among adolescents.

Perceived school bullying and psychotic-like experiences in sexual minority adolescents: the mediating and moderating roles of resilience

AIMS

This two-wave, longitudinal study aimed to examine the potential moderating and mediating effects of resilience on the association between perceived school bullying and psychotic-like experiences among Chinese sexual minority adolescents.

METHODS

A total of 4192 senior high students were included and 984 (23.5%) of them were identified as a sexual minority (mean age = 16.68 years, SD = 0.71). Participants completed two online surveys during April 21 to May 12, 2021 and December 17 to 26, 2021, respectively, as well as completed self-report measures of sample characteristics, perceived school bullying, resilience, and psychotic-like experiences (including two dimensions: delusional experiences and hallucinatory experiences).

RESULTS

Perceived school bullying and resilience were associated with psychotic-like experiences in sexual minority adolescents. Resilience mediated the relationship between perceived school bullying and subsequent psychotic-like experiences (b = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.01 ~ 0.04)/ delusional experiences (b = 0.03, 95% CI = 0.01 ~ 0.04)/ hallucinatory experiences (b = 0.02, 95% CI = 0.01 ~ 0.03). Additionally, resilience only moderated the associations of perceived school bullying with hallucinatory experiences (b = -0.06, 95% CI = -0.12 ~ -0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicated that resilience plays a crucial role in mediating or moderating the relationship between perceived school bullying and psychotic-like experiences. Assessing and reducing school bullying, as well as promoting resilience, may have important clinical implications for reducing the risk of psychotic-like experiences in sexual minority adolescents.

Effects of victimization and perpetration in observing bullying scenes: an eye-tracker study{es}: Efectos de la victimización y la perpetración en la observación de escenas de acoso: un estudio con eye-tracker

Introduction

Previous research showed that bullying experiences are associated with different ways of interpreting and behaving in bullying dynamics. However, it remains uncertain whether these distinctions can already be present during the first step of information processing: the allocation of attention.

Aims

The study explored attentional patterns of Italian students with different bullying experiences in daily life while observing different roles represented through bullying vignettes.

Methods

Participants (72 students, Mage= 11.18) were categorized as victims, bully-victims, or not involved based on their scores on a self-report questionnaire. They observed 9 bullying vignettes on which different portraits were presented (bully, victim, pro-bully, defender, bystander) while the eye-tracker registered attentional indexes (fixation, visit and duration).

Results

Kruskal- Wallis and pairwise comparisons revealed a significant effect for the portraits of the bully and the pro-bully as bully-victims exhibited greater fixations and visits than victims, while students not involved showed no significant differences with the other groups.

Conclusion

Our research reveals that bully-victims focused more on threatening cues while victims diverged their gaze from them, confirming that the experience of bullying influences how they explore aggressive situations. Learning how involved students direct their attention helps us understand different responses, leading to powerful interventions.

The Effect of Bullying Victimization on Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Mediating Roles of Alexithymia and Self-Esteem

Background & Aim

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents is a serious public health issue influenced by the interaction of multiple factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the multiple mediating roles of alexithymia and self-esteem in the association between bullying victimization and NSSI in a sample of Chinese adolescents.

Methods

A survey of 1299 adolescents from two public middle schools in Henan Province, China, was undertaken. Data were collected using the Chinese version of the Delaware bullying victimization scale-student (DBVS-S), the Toronto Alexithymia-20 Scale (TAS-20-C), the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES), and the adolescent self-injury questionnaire. Besides, we performed a structural equation modeling (SEM) with latent variables using AMOS 26.0 to examine the relationship between variables and the mediating effects.

Results

The SEM analysis found that not only can bullying victimization directly impact NSSI, but that alexithymia and self-esteem have a chain mediating effect in the association between bullying victimization and NSSI. This mediating effect contributed 22.47% to the total effect.

Conclusion

These findings validate bullying victimization, alexithymia, and low self-esteem are important variables that affect NSSI among Chinese adolescents. Educators need to implement some prevention and intervention strategies to ameliorate the campus atmosphere and adolescents' mental health aimed at avoiding NSSI behavior in adolescence.

Bullying Victimization and Adolescent Depression, Anxiety and Stress: The Mediation of Cognitive Emotion Regulation

BACKGROUND

Existing research has revealed a robust association between bullying victimization and psychological distress, but less is known about the underlying mechanism of this link. cognitive emotion regulation (CER) strategies could be a potential mediator. The current study examined the role of functional and dysfunctional CER strategies as potential mediators of the association between bullying victimization and depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among 638 high school students (53.9% boys; Mean age = 15.65, SD = 1.32).

METHOD

Participants completed a series of questionnaires assessing bullying victimization (Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire), CER strategies (CERQ-18), and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-21). The indirect relationships between bullying victimization and psychopathological symptoms via functional and dysfunctional CER strategies were tested through structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

Dysfunctional CER strategies mediated the impact of bullying victimization on depression, anxiety, and stress. In contrast, bullying victimization did not significantly influence functional CER strategies.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings provide additional support for the detrimental role of bullying victimization on mental distress, also suggesting that this effect is not only direct, but indirect is well. These results are particularly relevant in light of the absence of mediation by protective factors such as the use of positive emotion regulation strategies.

Associations between resilience and symptoms of depression and anxiety among adolescents: Examining the moderating effects of family environment

Depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents have experienced increase their risk of peripheral mental health and social problems. For adolescents, the role of family environmental factors should be taken into consideration. This study aimed to explore the association between resilience and depressive and anxiety symptoms in adolescents and to extend the findings by examining the moderating effects of family environment. A total of 35,573 adolescents in middle schools were recruited in China. Childhood abuse, resilience, and symptoms of depression and anxiety were evaluated in adolescents. We found a significant association between resilience and symptoms of depression and anxiety [OR = 0.976 (0.975-0.978), P < 0.001; OR = 0.980 (0.978-0.981), P < 0.001]. The adjusted ORs (95 % CIs) for mental health across the categories of resilience were as follows: 1 (reference) for low resilience, 0.660 (0.620-0.703) for medium resilience, 0.309 (0.286-0.333) for high resilience. The relationship between resilience and depressive symptoms was stronger for girls, non-only children, and those without child abuse experience compared to boys, only child, and those with child abuse experience (all p < 0.05). Our findings of a nationally representative sample in China suggest that gender, only child, parent-child relationship and child abuse moderated the relationship between resilience and symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Developing a virtual reality environment for educational and therapeutic application to investigate psychological reactivity to bullying

Understanding how bullying victimisation influences cognitive and emotional processes may help to direct early intervention to prevent the development of psychopathology. In a convenience sample of 67 female adolescents, we assessed the potential of a newly developed classroom-set bullying experience in virtual reality (VR) to evoke psychological reactions. Two VR experiences were co-developed with young people, one neutral and one hostile (bullying). Participants were matched and assigned to a condition based on measures of anxiety, depression, paranoia, and previous bullying, before experiencing either the neutral or hostile scenario. Before and after the VR session, participants completed measures of negative affect and levels of distress. All participants remained immersed for the whole duration, which supports the acceptability of using these VR experiences with more vulnerable participants. Those experiencing the hostile version reported greater negative affect post-immersion compared to those experiencing the neutral version (p = .018; d = 0.61). Although non-significant, a similar outcome was found regarding distress (p = .071; d = 0.37). Whilst we did not find a significant relationship between pre-existing internalisation on negative affect and distress, our sample was limited by containing adolescents with relatively low levels of previous bullying experience. Yet we still found evidence that the VR scenario evoked bullying-related psychological reactions. Further testing with a more representative groups of adolescents, especially those with more experience of bullying, would be advised. The VR scenario could potentially be used in educational and therapeutic settings to enhance empathy towards victimised children or enhance resilience following victimisation.

Relationship between alexithymia, loneliness, resilience and non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents with depression: a multi-center study

OBJECTIVE

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors are prevalent in adolescents and have adverse effects on physical and mental health. However, little is known about the relationship between NSSI and alexithymia, or the underlying mechanisms that could explain this relationship. This study aimed to elucidate the current status of NSSI in adolescent depression, and analyze the relationship between alexithymia, loneliness, resilience, and adolescent depression with NSSI, so as to provide a theoretical basis for psychotherapeutic interventions.

METHOD

The study sample involved inpatients and outpatients from 12 hospitals across China and adolescents with depression who met the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for depression episode. The following scales were used: The Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Connor Davidson Resilience Scale.

RESULTS

The detection rate of NSSI in adolescents with depression from 2021.01.01-2022.01.01 was 76.06% (1782/2343). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between alexithymia, loneliness, resilience and NSSI in depressed adolescents, and the results of the non-parametric test showed that the differences between the two groups for each factor were statistically significant. Binary logistic regression results showed that alexithymia (B = 0.023, p = 0.003, OR = 1.023, 95% CI: 1.008-1.038) and depression (B = 0.045, p < 0.001, OR = 1.046, 95% CI: 1.026-1.066) are risk factors for NSSI, resilience (B = - 0.052, p < 0.001, OR = 0.949, 95% CI: 0.935 - 0.964) is a protective factor for NSSI. Alexithymia directly predicted NSSI and also indirectly influenced NSSI through the mediated effect of resilience. Loneliness moderates the first half of the path of this mediated model.

CONCLUSION

The present study confirms a moderated mediation effect: Alexithymia can have an impact on NSSI behaviors in depressed adolescents through the mediating role of resilience. Loneliness, as a moderating variable, moderated the first half of the pathway of the mediating model. We discuss perspectives for future research and interventions based on the findings of the study.

Previous School Bullying-Associated Depression in Chinese College Students: The Mediation of Personality

Previous school bullying was associated with increased risk of depression in students. However, little was known about the role of the Big Five personality traits in this association. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible mediation by the Big Five personality traits in this association in a large group of Chinese college students, and to provide help for educators to prevent students from serious psychological and mental diseases caused by school bullying. Random stratified cluster sampling was used to survey 2152 college students ranging from freshmen to seniors at three universities in Qiqihar city, Heilongjiang Province, China. The risk factors for previous school bullying included gender, living expenses per month, caregivers, parents often quarreling, and divorced parents. Males were more likely to be bullied at school than females. The influencing factors of depression include gender, caregivers, living expenses per month, frequent parents quarreling, and parental divorce. Females were more prone to depression than males. Depression was significantly correlated with all dimensions of school bullying and the Big Five personality traits (p < 0.05). The Big Five personality traits were found to play a significant mediating role between depression and school bullying in up to 45% of cases involving depression. Our major findings highlighted the promising role of personality-based intervention measures in reducing the risk of depression associated with school bullying in Chinese students.

Resilience mediates parenting style associated school bullying victimization in Chinese children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Existing evidence has shown that negative parenting style elevates the risk of school bullying victimization in children and adolescents. Resilience may play as a mediating factor in this association. However, this hypothesis has not been investigated.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 4582 Chinese children and adolescents had been surveyed by self-administered questionnaire. The Chinese version of Egna Minnen av. Barndoms Uppfostra (s-EMBU-C), the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ) and the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents (RSCA) were used to collect relevant information. Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the crude and adjusted associations between parenting style, resilience, and bullying victimization. Path analysis was used to estimate the mediation via resilience in the association between parenting style and bullying victimization.

RESULTS

After adjustment for possible covariates, the results of multivariate binary logistic regression model suggested that among all dimensions of parenting style, mother's and father's rejection were significantly associated with school bullying victimization. Path analysis revealed a statistically significant mediation of resilience in the association between parental rejection and bullying victimization, and among the five dimensions of resilience, emotion regulation, family support and interpersonal assistance accounted for the highest proportions of mediation.

CONCLUSIONS

For children and adolescents who suffered from parental rejection, building up resilience, especially those measures aiming at improving emotion regulation ability and consolidating family and peer support, might be effective in reducing risk of school bullying victimization.