Bullying Experiences and Nonsuicidal Self-injury Among Chinese Adolescents: A Longitudinal Moderated Mediation Model

• In Event: Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Topic - Social, Emotional, Personality

Abstract

Bullying plays an important role in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). However, few studies have simultaneously examined the mechanisms and conditions under which different bullying experiences (particularly bully-victims) link to NSSI. The transactional model suggests a reciprocal relationship between individuals and their social environments (Sameroff & Mackenzie, 2003). That is, a person may exhibit a particular behavior (e.g., bully) that triggers certain social responses (e.g., low peer acceptance), which, in turn, shape his/her adjustment. Hence, we propose that bullying experiences would relate to less peer acceptance, subsequently, less peer acceptance may relate to more depressive symptoms, which in turn, may increase the likelihood of engaging in NSSI. The integrated model of NSSI has proposed that certain intrapersonal traits (e.g.,resilience) may influence how individuals response to interpersonal and intrapersonal challenges (Nock, 2010). Resilience, which refers to the ability of an individual to withstand stressors in the face of adversity (Rutter, 2006), may be a protective intrapersonal trait that buffer the negative effect of low peer acceptance and more depressive symptoms on NSSI. Taken together, the goal of the current study is to investigate two potential mediators (i.e., peer acceptance and depressive symptoms) and one potential moderator (i.e., resilience) of the relations between bullying experiences and NSSI.
The participants were recruited through a private school in Foshan, China. At Wave 1, eight hundred and three seventh-ninth graders (43% female; Mage at Wave 1 = 13.15 years) participated in the current study. In the fall semester of Grade 7 (Wave 1) and approximately one year later (Wave 2), students completed written questionnaires in classrooms during regular school hours administrated by trained research assistants or school psychologists.
As shown in Table 1, all the variables were moderately correlated. Using the non-involved group as the reference group, the final moderated mediation model was tested. The model fit the data well, χ² (20) = 69.35, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.07 [0.05, 0.09]. Unstandardized path parameters for the model are presented in Figure 1. As expected, the results revealed that the unique indirect pathways linking bullying experiences and NSSI were conditioned on the level of resilience. Specifically, for adolescents with lower levels of resilience, bully-victims were related to less peer acceptance; less peer acceptance, in turn, was linked to more depressive symptoms; More depressive symptoms, in turn, were linked to more NSSI behaviors. Whereas such links were not significant for adolescents with higher levels of resilience. Moreover, the indirect pathways from bully-victims or bullies to NSSI through depressive symptoms became weaker or not significant at higher (vs. lower) levels of resilience.
The current study moves beyond most of the prior studies that only examined the link between bullying perpetration or victimization and NSSI to provide a comprehensive understanding of how different types of bullying experiences relate to NSSI by identifying mediators and moderators. Results indicate that it would be effective to reduce NSSI if interventions focus on promoting peer acceptance and reducing adolescent depressive symptoms, particularly for bully-victims with lower levels of resilience.

Authors

• Nini Wu, Guangdong University of Education
  Presenting Author

• Yang Hou, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Qing Zeng, South China Normal University, Guangdong University of Education
  Non-Presenting Author

• Haiting Cai
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jianing You
  Non-Presenting Author