The association between school bullying victimization and substance use among adolescents in Malawi: the mediating effect of loneliness

Bullying Victimization and Psychiatric Symptoms Among Syrian Adolescent Refugees in Southeast Turkey: A Structural Equation Modeling Study

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to compare the peer bullying of refugee and non-refugee adolescents, and to explore the association between bullying victimization and psychiatric symptoms among Syrian adolescent refugees in the Southeast Anatolia region of Turkey. Methods: The sample of the study consists of 217 adolescents in the 13-17 age group who are school-going, 102 refugee adolescents, and 115 non-refugee adolescents. The study data was obtained using the Sociodemographic Characteristics Questionnaire developed by the researchers, Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 42 (DASS-42). A structural equation model was used to assess the association between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms, while also considering mediation by stress and anxiety. Results: In this study, 44.1% of refugee adolescents reported experiencing at least one bullying victimization, while this rate was 27.8% in the non-refugee group, and this difference was found statistically significant. The logistic regression analysis revealed that poor school performance was a risk factor for bullying victimization in refugee adolescent. Moreover, the structural equation model analysis revealed that bullying victimization significantly increased the stress level in refugee adolescents, and depressive symptoms were significantly affected by stress and anxiety levels. Conclusion: Taking into consideration that bullying victimization is a significant problem among Syrian refugee adolescents; anti-bullying programmes should be implemented as this may improve the mental health of Syrian refugee adolescents.

Examining mediators of associations of food insecurity and being bullied with suicide among in-school adolescents in Eswatini: a cross-sectional study

We examined the potential mediating roles of anxiety and loneliness on the association of concurrent food insecurity (FI) and being bullied (BB) with suicidal behavior (SB) in Eswatini, a lower-middle-income country. We used data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS; N = 3264), which employed a two-stage cluster sampling: first, 25 schools were selected based on the proportionate probability of enrollment; second, classes were randomly selected. A self-reported 84-item GSHS questionnaire was used to collect data for students aged 13-17 years. FI was measured by requesting students to recall how often they went hungry because of a lack of food at home in the 30 days before the study. Multiple logistic regressions and binary mediation function was applied to examine mediating factors of SB. The prevalence of SB, FI, and BB among adolescents was 27.5%, 7.7%, and 30.2%, respectively. Moreover, the relationship between FI and BB with SB was partly (approximately 24%) mediated by anxiety and loneliness. Our results highlight the mediating roles of anxiety and loneliness in suicidal adolescents who experience FI and BB. In conclusion, interventions for alleviating SB in high-risk adolescents experiencing FI and BB should also be aimed at ameliorating anxiety and loneliness.

Height dissatisfaction and loneliness among adolescents: the chain mediating role of social anxiety and social support

Previous research on body dissatisfaction has mainly focused on the dissatisfaction with weight and appearance. Limited research has examined the dissatisfaction with another major body feature that is important to our social relationships and personal well-being, namely, body height. We hypothesized that height dissatisfaction would predict more intense loneliness among adolescents, and that this relationship is mediated by greater social anxiety and reduced social support. Participants of this study were 515 Chinese high school students. The Shortness subscale of the Negative Physical Self Scale, Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, Perceived Social Support Scale, and ULS-8 were integrated into a paper-and-pencil survey. The results revealed that adolescents with high levels of height dissatisfaction reported higher levels of loneliness. A chain mediation model showed that the relationship between height dissatisfaction and loneliness could be both sequentially mediated by social anxiety and social support, and mediated by social anxiety. However, no mediating role of social support was found. We also found that body height did not predict social anxiety or social support, but can predict loneliness. The current findings provide novel insights into the occurrence of loneliness among adolescents, and indicate that negative self-perceptions of body height and the resulting social anxiety can lead to loneliness.

Adolescent social isolation induced alterations in nucleus accumbens glutamate signalling

Exposure to adversity during early childhood and adolescence increases an individual's vulnerability to developing substance use disorder. Despite the knowledge of this vulnerability, the mechanisms underlying it are still poorly understood. Excitatory afferents to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) mediate responses to both stressful and rewarding stimuli. Understanding how adolescent social isolation alters these afferents could inform the development of targeted interventions both before and after drug use. Here, we used social isolation rearing as a model of early life adversity which we have previously demonstrated increases vulnerability to cocaine addiction-like behaviour. The current study examined the effect of social isolation rearing on presynaptic glutamatergic transmission in NAc medium spiny neurons in both male and female mice. We show that social isolation rearing alters presynaptic plasticity in the NAc by decreasing the paired-pulse ratio and the size of the readily releasable pool of glutamate. Optogenetically activating the glutamatergic input from the ventral hippocampus to the NAc is sufficient to recapitulate the decreases in paired-pulse ratio and readily releasable pool size seen following electrical stimulation of all NAc afferents. Further, optogenetically inhibiting the ventral hippocampal afferent during electrical stimulation eliminates the effect of early life adversity on the paired-pulse ratio or readily releasable pool size. In summary, we demonstrate that social isolation rearing leads to alterations in glutamate transmission driven by projections from the ventral hippocampus. These data suggest that targeting the circuit from the ventral hippocampus to the nucleus accumbens could provide a means to reverse stress-induced plasticity.

Bullying and Being Bullied; How Much Can It Increase the Risk of Depression and Anxiety in Students? A Multilevel Fixed-effect Model Analysis

Background: School violence as a health issue is a global concern. One of the problems that affect the health and well-being of children at school is bullying. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to examine the association of depression and anxiety with bullying among 6 - 19-year-old students in Iran. Methods: This study was conducted in Tehran, Iran, in 2020. A multistage cluster sampling method was used, and 54,550 students aged six to 19 years of both sexes, from urban and rural areas, were selected. Standard questionnaires, according to the WHO recommendations, were used for data collection. Involvement in bullying in the past 12 months and anxiety and depression status in both bully and bullied students were investigated by standard questionnaires. To compare the psychiatric problems and violent behavior, the Wald chi-square test was applied. The multilevel fixed-effect model and logistic multivariate regression were used to adjust the multilevel effects and estimate the odds of anxiety and depression in both bully and bullied students. All statistical analyses were performed at a 95% significance level. Results: Of the total students, 50.9% were males, 29.45% were in the 6 - 10 age group, and 70.55% in the 11 - 19 age group. There was a significant difference in depression and anxiety between boys and girls in both age groups (P < 0.001). Amongst males, 11.7% of the students aged 6 - 10 and 11% of the students aged 11 - 19 and in females, 7.7% aged 6 - 10 and 10.4% aged 11 - 19 had at least four experiences of bullying to others in the last year. The odds ratios for depression in male bullies were 1.3 and 1.5 in 6 - 10 and 11 - 19 age groups, respectively. The odds ratios for depression in bullied males and females were 4.2 and 3.9 in 6 - 10 and 2.9 and 4.3 in 11 - 19 age groups, respectively. Bulling others increased the odds of anxiety to 1.7 and 1.9 in males and 2.1 and 1.9 in females in 6 - 10 and 11 - 19 age groups, respectively. In bullied students, the odds of anxiety were estimated at 2.9 and 2.2 in males and 3.4 and 2.2 in female students respectively, in 6 - 10 and 11 - 19 age groups. Conclusions: There was a significant positive association between psychological disorders (anxiety and depression) and bullying among 6 - 19-year-old students. Victims of bullying were more at risk of depression and anxiety. This health-threatening phenomenon should not be ignored.

Psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Mozambique: a cross-sectional study using the Global School-Based Health Survey data

BACKGROUND

Poor mental health remains the leading cause of disability, with considerable negative impacts in low- and middle-income countries. In this study, we examined the prevalence and correlates of psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Mozambique.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of 1918 in-school adolescents, using data from the 2015 Mozambique Global School-Based Health Survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were adopted in analysing the data. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

The prevalence of psychosocial distress was 21.2% (24.1% females and 18.5% males). Older adolescents [AOR = 1.681, 95% CI = 1.233-2.292] had higher odds of experiencing psychosocial distress, compared with younger adolescents. In terms of sex, males [AOR = 0.755, 95% CI 0.601-0.950] had lower odds of experiencing psychosocial distress, compared with females. Adolescents who were bullied [AOR = 1.451, 95% CI 1.150-1.831], physically attacked [AOR = 1.802, 95% CI 1.404-2.313], and engaged in a physical fight [AOR = 1.376, 95% CI 1.070-1.769] were respectively more likely to experience psychosocial distress than those who did not. Conversely, adolescents who had close friends [AOR = 0.503, 95% CI 0.372-0.681] had lower odds of being psychosocially distressed than those who did not have close friends.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of psychosocial distress among in-school adolescents in Mozambique is relatively high. The country may not be able to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 3.4 target of promoting mental health and wellbeing of all by the year 2030 if current rates of psychosocial distress persist among in-school adolescents. Mental health education and counselling as well as social support from friends should be intensified to reduce mental health problems and enable adolescents to effectively deal with the psychosocial challenges encountered in their transition from childhood to adulthood.

The Impact of Emotional Symptoms and Family Support on the Association Between Homophobic Bullying and Sedative/Hypnotic Use among Gay and Bisexual Men in Taiwan: A Moderated Mediation Model

Sedative/hypnotic use and homophobic bullying have become a big mental health concern for gay and bisexual men. However, few studies have investigated the mediators and moderators of the association between them. The current study aimed to build a conceptual model to estimate the mediating effect of emotional symptoms and the moderating effect of family support on this association among gay and bisexual men in Taiwan. A total of 500 gay or bisexual men were recruited for the study. Their history of homophobic bullying, their experience of sedative/hypnotic use, their perceived family support, and their current emotional symptoms were evaluated using self-reporting questionnaires. A moderated mediation model was developed to test the mediating effect of emotional symptoms and the moderating effect of family support. A higher level of homophobic bullying was significantly associated with sedative/hypnotic use among gay and bisexual men and this was mediated by a higher severity of emotional symptoms. A moderating effect of family support was identified, wherein the mediating effect of emotional symptoms was weaker when there was a higher level of perceived family support, thus revealing the protective effect of family support. The significant impact of emotional symptoms and family support on the association between homophobic bullying and sedative/hypnotic use was identified. Timely interventions for emotional symptoms and the enhancement of family support are crucial for gay and bisexual men.

Prevalence and correlates of being bullied among adolescents in Indonesia: results from the 2015 Global School-based Student Health Survey

Introduction Violence against adolescents is prevalent in the world, yet this issue is neglected especially in developing countries. Bullying among adolescents negatively affects the victims in relation to emotional, physical, social and overall health status. This study was conducted to understand bullying and its associated factors in school-going adolescents in Indonesia. Methods This study was a correlational design with a cross-sectional approach. Data were obtained from the 2015 Indonesia Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS). As many as 9969 adolescents in schools were selected by probability proportional to size method and systematic sampling. Variables analyzed on this study were age, sex, smoking behavior, alcohol consumption, close friends and feeling of loneliness. The research instrument used the GSHS 2015 questionnaire. Chi-square (χ2) analysis and multiple logistic regression tests were conducted to determine the significance of each variable. Results A total of 19.9% of adolescents in Indonesian schools were victims of being bullied. Being bullied was associated with ≤14 years old [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.30, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17-1.45], being male (AOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.28-1.59), being a smoker (AOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.23-1.73), consuming alcohol (AOR 2.07, 95% CI 1.64-2.62), having no close friends (AOR 1.27, 95% CI 0.95-1.70) and feeling lonely (AOR 2.29, 95% CI 2.05-2.55). Conclusion Indonesian in-school adolescents report a relatively high prevalence of having been bullied. Being bullied is related to various factors depending on personal and environmental factors. School communities and health professionals' attention to adolescents should be sensitized and this issue discussed, developing strategies and minimizing the negative effect on the adolescents. Policy makers need to consider developing a social platform among adolescents to facilitate students' interaction.

The relationship between psychological distress and bullying victimisation among school-going adolescents in Ghana: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

One of the pervasive problems in schools that has adverse implication on the wellbeing of students, is bullying victimisation. However, within sub-Saharan Africa, only few studies have examined how psychological distress influences bullying victimisation. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between bullying victimization and psychological distress among school going adolescents in Ghana.

RESULTS

One hundred and ninety-eight (198) male and female students completed a series of self-report questionnaires measuring psychological distress (anxiety, stress and depression) and bullying victimisation in a cross-sectional survey. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and standard multiple regression were used to analyse the data. Findings revealed that bullying victimisation was positively associated with all the domains of psychological distress: depression (r = 0.35, p < 0.001), anxiety (r = 0.30, p < 0.001) and stress (r = 0.35, p < 0.001). Further analysis found depression to be the only significant predictor of bullying victimisation (β = 0.20; t = 2.01; p < 0.05). Taking into consideration that bullying victimization is a major problem among adolescents in schools, anti-bullying programmes should be implemented as this may promote improved wellbeing of school-going adolescents in Ghana.