School Bullying and Youth Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors: Do School Belonging and School Achievement Matter?

The impact of school bullying on the mental health of boarding secondary school students: the mediating roles of school belongingness and resilience

BACKGROUND

School bullying has become a significant educational and public health issue worldwide. Boarding secondary school students, who live within the school environment and away from familial support, are particularly vulnerable. This study aims to address this gap by examining the impact of school bullying on the mental health of boarding secondary school students and exploring the mediating roles of school belongingness and psychological resilience.

METHODS

A stratified random cluster sampling method was used to survey students from 4 boarding secondary schools in Hebei Province, China. A total of 1,560 valid responses were obtained from 1,700 questionnaires distributed. Participants provided self-reported data based on the structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics summarized the data, and Chi-square tests, t-tests, and ANOVA were used to examine demographic differences. Pearson correlation analysis assessed relationships among bullying, mental health, school belongingness, and resilience. Path analysis was performed to test the hypothesized mediation model with 5000 bootstrap sampling. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and Amos 28.0.

RESULTS

Abnormal mental health status was reported by 33.8% of students, with 23.3% exhibiting mild abnormalities, 8.7% moderate abnormalities, 1.3% severe abnormalities, and 0.1% exhibiting very severe abnormalities. Verbal bullying, physical bullying, and social bullying were reported by 26.9%, 10.1%, and 15.4% of students, respectively, with higher prevalence among males (P < 0.05). Students who experienced bullying showed significantly higher rates of mental health problems (P < 0.001). Mediation analysis indicated that school belongingness [β = 0.017 (0.014-0.020)] and psychological resilience [β = 0.002 (0.001-0.003)] partially mediated the effect of bullying on mental health, accounting for 35.7% and 3.2% of the total effect, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals the significant impact of school bullying on mental health among boarding secondary school students in Hebei Province, China. The findings underscore the critical roles of school belongingness and psychological resilience as mediators in the relationship between bullying and mental health outcomes. The study highlights the need for comprehensive intervention strategies that promote a positive school climate, strengthen student-teacher relationships and enhance peer support systems to foster a strong sense of school belongingness and resilience, ultimately improving overall student well-being.

The indirect effects of school bullying on mathematics achievement: the mediating roles of teacher-student relationships, sense of belonging and differences between genders

BACKGROUND

Previous research paid more attention to the negative effects of the bullying on psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression. However, few studies explored the underlying mechanism between bullying and mathematics achievement. The purpose of this study was to explore the direct and indirect effects of school bullying on mathematics achievement among Chinese eighth grade students.

METHODS

A two-stage stratified sample design was used to select participants. The participants were all eighth grade students from a city of southwest China and 17,527 adolescents (51.7% boys, Mage = 13.34 ± 0.56 years) were included in this study. Students completed a battery of paper-and-pencil instruments concerning demographic information, school bullying, teacher-student relationships, sense of belonging, and mathematics achievement. The Two-Step Rule was employed to explore the association between school bullying and mathematics achievement.

RESULTS

(1) There was a direct effect of school bullying on mathematics achievement (β = -0.203, 95%CI: -0.235, -0.171, p < .001); (2) Teacher-student relationships (β = -0.096, 95%CI: -0.115, -0.078, p < .001) and sense of belonging (β = -0.011, 95%CI: -0.021, -0.003, p = .010) played separate mediating roles in the link between school bullying and mathematics achievement; (3) Teacher-student relationships and sense of belonging served as chain mediators between school bullying and mathematics achievement (β = -0.011, 95%CI: -0.021, -0.003, p = .012); (4) Gender moderated the impact of school bullying on mathematics achievement (β = -0.081, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

These results have implications for educational staff by suggesting that teacher-student relationships and school belonging may be the two pivotal factors that future research should utilize the two factors to develop more evidence-based preventions and interventions. Moreover, more attention should be paid to girls who are victims of bullying.

High School Teacher Bullying and Student Risk Behavior

PURPOSE

Although the harmful outcomes of peer bullying are well-established, the effects of bullying by teachers are less understood. Teacher bullying occurs when a teacher uses their authority to punish or disparage a student beyond appropriate discipline.

METHODS

This study investigated the prevalence of teacher bullying and its relationship with student risk-taking behaviors in a sample of 106,865 high school students who completed a statewide school climate survey. Students were classified into four groups: no bullying (91%), only peer bullying (4%), only teacher bullying (4%), and both peer and teacher bullying (2%).

RESULTS

Logistic regression results indicated that all victimization groups were more likely to participate in risk behaviors (substance use, weapon carrying, fighting, suicidal ideation, and attempts) than nonbullied peers, and students bullied by both peers and teachers were at greatest jeopardy of participation.

DISCUSSION

These results support greater attention to teacher bullying in antibullying efforts.

Youth mental health in a Canadian community sample during COVID-19: Exploring the role of perceived sense of belonging

Research has linked broad societal changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic and poorer mental health in young people. There remains a pressing need for studies examining the factors that are associated with better mental health and well-being. The current study addresses this gap using a community-based survey called the Waterloo Region Youth Impact Survey. It was designed in partnership with local youth and the Canadian Index of Well-Being in accordance with United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund guidelines. Using a convenience sampling methodology, this survey was developed to explore the domains, rates, and correlates of well-being and mental health among youth during the pandemic (N = 297). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify dimensions related to children's social environment (friends, school, family), sense of belonging, mental health, and well-being. Subsequently, a mediation model was tested. The relationship between children's environments and mental health and well-being operated via perceived sense of belonging. Findings shed light on patterns of youth mental health and well-being during the pandemic, illustrating the role of belonging as a promotive factor with public health relevance.

The Healthy Context Paradox Between Bullying and Emotional Adaptation: A Moderated Mediating Effect

Introduction

Bullying is a significant concern for young people, with studies consistently showing a link between bullying and negative emotional consequences. However, the mechanisms that underlie this association remain unclear, particularly in terms of the classroom environment. This study aimed to explore the paradoxical phenomenon between bullying victimization and emotional adaptation among junior high school students in China, using the hypothesis of the healthy context paradox.

Methods

The study involved 880 students (565 girls; Mage=14.69; SD=1.407 years), and data were collected using self-reported surveys. The findings of the study, utilizing multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) techniques, demonstrated a cross-level moderated effect of classroom-level bullying victimization on the relationship between individual bullying victimization and emotional adaptation.

Results

Specifically, the results indicated that in classrooms with higher levels of victimization, the association between individual bullying victimization and increased depressive symptoms and State&Trait anxiety was more pronounced. These findings support the "Healthy context paradox" hypothesis in the Chinese context and provide insight into the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.

Discussion

The results suggest that the classroom environment plays a crucial role in shaping the emotional consequences of bullying and that addressing classroom victimization is crucial for promoting emotional health among young people. By understanding the mechanisms that underlie the association between bullying and emotional consequences, interventions can be developed to target the underlying factors that contribute to this paradoxical phenomenon. Overall, the study provides new insights into the complex relationship between bullying and emotional health among young people, highlighting the importance of considering the classroom environment in addressing this issue.

The Relationship between a Competitive School Climate and School Bullying among Secondary Vocational School Students in China: A Moderated Mediation Model

School bullying is widespread in countries around the world and has a continuous negative impact on the physical and mental health of students. However, few studies have explored the influence mechanism of a competitive school climate on school bullying among Chinese secondary vocational school students. This study aims to explore the relationship between a competitive school climate and bullying in secondary vocational schools in the Chinese context, as well as the mediating role of school belonging and the moderating role of gender. Logit regression analysis and a moderated mediation model were used to analyze 1964 secondary vocational students from China based on PISA 2018 data from Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu, China. (1) The detection rate of school bullying in secondary vocational schools in China is 17.8%, lower than the world average. (2) A competitive school climate is significantly and positively correlated with secondary vocational school students' exposure to school bullying. (3) A moderated mediation model suggests that school belonging is an important mechanism by which a competitive school climate influences the occurrence of school bullying, whereas gender moderates the direct effect of a competitive school climate and the indirect effect of school belonging, which mitigates the negative effects of a competitive school climate to some extent. The research results show that creating a healthy competitive climate in schools, cultivating students' sense of belonging, and facing up to gender differences are helpful to prevent school bullying in secondary vocational schools.

Bullying Victimization and Mental Health among Migrant Children in Urban China: A Moderated Mediation Model of School Belonging and Resilience

School bullying victimization among children is a significant public health issue that may negatively influence their mental health. However, few studies have been conducted on the bullying of migrant children in urban China. A positive psychological perspective has rarely been adopted in examining the mechanisms through which bullying victimization influences mental health, and the protective factors remain understudied. This research investigates the factors that may contribute to reducing the negative effects of bullying victimization on mental health, focusing on the protective roles of school belonging and resilience in the association between bullying victimization and mental health. Data were collected from 1087 school-aged migrant children in Shanghai and Nanjing, China. The PROCESS macro was used to conduct moderated mediation analyses to test the hypothesized models. The results of moderated mediation modeling revealed that bullying victimization (β = −0.386, p < 0.001) was negatively linked with mental health through decreased school belonging (β = 0.398, p < 0.001). Moreover, resilience buffered the indirect negative effects of bullying victimization on migrant children’s mental health via school belonging (β = −0.460, p < 0.01). Specifically, lower resilience was clearly associated with stronger indirect effects. Our findings suggest that school belonging and resilience must be incorporated into mental health prevention and intervention programs targeting migrant children with bullying victimization experiences.

The Mediating Role of School and Sibling Bullying in the Relationship between Subjective Well-Being and Mental Health Symptoms

Recently, empirical studies have indicated an association between well-being and mental health. The nature of this association remains unclear since some studies suggest it is weak, whilst others indicate it is strong. The present study seeks to contribute to this dialogue by modelling not only the relationship between well-being and internalising and externalising mental health symptoms but also by introducing a mediation model where school and sibling bullying, as risk factors, are acting as mediators. A national sample of 1244 youth (Mage = 12.47, SD = 1.69) from the Understanding Society household panel study in the UK was utilised to estimate the structural equation model. The findings showed that the direct effect of well-being on internalising symptoms was negative and strong, whereas it was negative and moderate on externalising symptoms. Furthermore, the pattern of indirect effects from subjective well-being to internalising and externalising mental health symptoms displayed some differences in the level of statistical significance and strength. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.