Bullying And Self-harm In Adolescents: A Longitudinal Mediation Mode

Non-suicidal self-injury(NSSI),a serious public health issue,not only harms an individual’s physical health but also has a close relationship with suicide.NSSI is most common during adolescence,a crucial period for individual physical and psychological development.Therefore,exploring the influencing factors and mechanisms of NSSI among adolescents is of great importance.Based on the environmental functional model,interpersonal/system model,and experiential avoidance model,this study investigated the underlying mechanisms between bullying victimization,interpersonal relationships,emotion regulation strategies(cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression),and NSSI from the perspectives of environment and emotion regulation.The study provides guidance on the risk and protective factors of NSSI among adolescents.Two follow-up surveys were conducted every six months using the Adolescents Self-Harm Scale,the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire,the Adolescent Life Events Scale,and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire among 341 high school students in Tianjin,China.Study 1examined the predictive effects of bullying victimization and interpersonal relationships on NSSI in a cross-sectional design.Study 2 explored the underlying mechanisms of bullying victimization,interpersonal relationships,emotion regulation strategies,and NSSI in a longitudinal design,including two sub-studies: Study 2A examined the mediating role of interpersonal relationships between bullying victimization and NSSI and further explored the core variables in the relationship network of bullying victimization,interpersonal relationships,and NSSI using network analysis;Study 2B investigated the moderating role of different emotion regulation strategies on the longitudinal mediation between bullying victimization and NSSI.The main results of this study are as follows:(1)In a cross-sectional design,bullying victimization and poor interpersonal relationships were predictors of NSSI among adolescents.(2)In a longitudinal design,bullying victimization positively predicted later interpersonal relationships,which,in turn,positively predicted later NSSI.Interpersonal relationships played a longitudinal mediating role between bullying victimization and NSSI.The interpersonal relationships at Time 1 occupied a central position in the relationship network.(3)On a longitudinal level,cognitive reappraisal significantly moderated the indirect effect of bullying victimization on NSSI,while the moderating effect of expressive suppression was not significant.In terms of alleviating NSSI,adolescents using cognitive reappraisal strategies were superior to those using expressive suppression strategies.In conclusion,this study mainly reveals the risk factors and protective factors of NSSI among adolescents from a longitudinal perspective,providing theoretical basis and empirical support for explaining the mechanism of NSSI among adolescents.At the same time,it suggests that people should treat NSSI among adolescents from a developmental perspective,not only focusing on the current impact,but also comprehensively considering the possible causes of NSSI among adolescents.