Child Deprivation as a Mediator of the Relationships between Family Poverty, Bullying Victimization, and Psychological Distress

Pathways of Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Peer Bullying in Children and Youth: A Scoping Review

Growing up in socioeconomic disadvantage increases risk of peer bullying at school. Both socioeconomic status and involvement in bullying are predictive of a range of adverse developmental outcomes. However, neither (a) the mechanisms whereby disadvantage increases bullying risk nor (b) the developmental outcomes for which bullying may mediate disadvantage are clear. This review scoped the literature on the relationships between socioeconomic disadvantage, bullying, and health and developmental outcomes for school-aged children and adolescents. Four databases were searched up to June 3, 2023 with 565 studies retrieved, of which 17 met criteria. Most studies were cross-sectional, and studies varied greatly in their definition and measurement of both bullying involvement and disadvantage. No intervention studies were found. Mediators of the disadvantage-bullying association ranged from individual level (e.g., depression) to the national level (e.g., homicide rate); only two studies examined bully-victim status. Of studies where bullying was a mediator, none examined bullying perpetration; the range of outcomes examined was narrowly focused on mental health, failing to capture the full range of developmental outcomes associated with either socioeconomic disadvantage or bullying involvement. This review highlights that future research is needed on identifying and understanding the mediators of the association between disadvantage and bullying victimization, and on the developmental outcomes mediated by bullying perpetration for disadvantaged children. These insights are critical to increase the effectiveness of community- and school-based bullying prevention, particularly in communities with high proportions of socioeconomically disadvantaged families.

Sex Differences in the Relationship Between School Bullying Victimization and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The Roles of Insecure Attachment

School bullying victimization is a highly concerning issue that can lead to a range of negative outcomes. Despite the research showing a significant association between bullying victimization and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), the internal mechanisms with its two components (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms [PTSD] and disorders of self-organization symptoms [DSO]) remain unclear. Previous studies have indicated that attachment style may influence the development of CPTSD symptoms and that there may be sex differences in attachment styles. Thus, the present study aims to examine the mediating role of insecure attachment between school bullying victimization and CPTSD symptoms in males and females. The study assessed bullying victimization, attachment orientation, and CPTSD (i.e., PTSD symptoms and DSO symptoms) symptoms in 675 college students (65.2% females; Mage = 19.6, SD = 1.34) from China who had reported bullying experiences at two different time points, 6 months apart. For females, school bullying victimization predicted PTSD and DSO symptoms through attachment anxiety and only predicted DSO symptoms through attachment avoidance. For males, we found that school bullying victimization predicted PTSD symptoms through attachment avoidance. These findings suggest that attachment is critical in understanding how school bullying victimization may lead to CPTSD symptoms among individuals of different sexes.

Social poverty indicators with school bullying victimization: evidence from the global school-based student health survey (GSHS)

BACKGROUND

School bullying is prevalent in children and adolescents. Bullying victims are seen higher risk of negative psychological outcomes. Previously published studies suggested that social indicators may pose significant influence on bullying victimization. However, the association between social poverty and bullying victimization has not been exclusively discussed.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed the association between 6 commonly used social poverty indicators (Poverty Headcount Ratio, PHR; Poverty Gap, PG; Squared Poverty Gap, SPG; monthly household per capita income, PCI; Watts' Poverty Index, WPI; the Gini Index, Gini) and the prevalence of school bullying at country level by using the Global school-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) database.

RESULTS

Altogether 16 countries were included into the final analysis, with school bullying victimization prevalence ranged from 12.9 to 47.5%. Bubble plots revealed statistically significant associations between the three indicators measuring absolute poverty level (PHR, PCI, WPI) and bullying victimization. Subsequently performed principal component regression indicated that, for all types of bullying victimization, the increase of absolute poverty level was related to elevated prevalence rates, and the association was particularly strong for verbal bullying victimization.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study results may suggest that absolute social poverty is an important parameter for constructing and implementing school bullying victimization intervention strategies and measures.

Less Computer Access: Is It a Risk or a Protective Factor for Cyberbullying and Face-to-Face Bullying Victimization among Adolescents in the United States?

The present study investigates whether less computer access is associated with an increase or decrease in cyberbullying and face-to-face bullying victimization. Data were derived from the 2009-2010 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children U.S. Study, consisting of 12,642 adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 years (Mage = 12.95). We found that less computer usage was negatively associated with cyberbullying victimization and face-to-face bullying victimization. The findings from the study have implications for research and practice.

Exploring the linkage between family financial struggle and children's bullying victimization: Implications for nursing and psychotherapeutic practices

PURPOSE

A few studies have found that children whose families are economically disadvantaged and financially struggling are at an elevated risk of victimization by their peers. However, extant research is largely descriptive. To address this gap, this study empirically tested the proposed pathways from family financial struggle to children's bullying victimization, including the role of barriers to healthcare access in this association using a nationally representative sample.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study utilizes the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health, a survey of a cross-sectional, weighted probability sample of US children (ages 0-17 years) living in 50 states and the District of Columbia, and their caregivers. The sample used for the current study included 14,374 racially and ethnically diverse caregivers of children, aged 6-11 years.

RESULTS

Positive significant associations between family financial struggle and children's bullying victimization, and between financial struggle and barriers to healthcare access were found. Barriers to healthcare access mediated the association between family financial struggle and bullying victimization.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Given the documented effects of bullying victimization on children, findings point to the importance of developing psychotherapeutic practices that are appropriate for children who are flagged as "high-risk."

Interparental and Intergenerational Co-parenting Conflict and Adolescent Academic Performance: The Mediating Roles of Adolescent Academic Engagement and Depression

While a link between co-parenting conflict and academic performance is frequently assumed, studies on this association have shown inconsistent results. In addition, academic engagement and depression can potentially mediate the association between co-parenting conflict and academic performance. However, studies have not tested this proposition. This paper examined the direct effect of co-parenting conflict on adolescent academic performance and the mediating effect of academic engagement and depression. Using data from a nationally representative survey, the 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we constructed a sample of 1989 dyads of adolescents (aged 10 to 15) and their primary caregivers in China. The structural equation model analysis revealed that co-parenting conflict was not directly linked with academic performance but was indirectly associated with adolescent academic performance through academic engagement and depression. The findings provide empirical support that academic engagement and depression play important mediating roles in the relationship between co-parenting conflict and adolescent academic performance. Future intervention programs aimed at promoting adolescent academic performance may consider a family-oriented approach to identify adolescents from families with co-parenting conflict and provide them with professional support.

Bullying and Health Related Quality of Life among Adolescents-A Systematic Review

Health-related quality of life is among global health goals not only in adulthood but also in childhood and adolescence. Being a multi-component construct, health-related quality of life covers various domains, such as physical and psychological wellbeing and social and environmental areas. Bullying might significantly influence those domains especially in adolescence, a period of life when numerous personal and interpersonal transformations are experienced. Therefore, the aim of the current systematic review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the relationship of bullying with the health-related quality of adolescents' lives. An electronic literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, and 3621 full-text articles were identified. After a selection process, 12 studies covering diagnosis, prevention and treatment for each of the three sections "adolescents", "health related quality of life" and "bullying" were reviewed. An overall reduction in health-related quality of life in regard to bullying appeared from the studies analyzed, as well as a decline in adolescent mental health. Different bullying types were identified as causing harm to various adolescents' health-related quality of life domains. These findings may contribute to effective bullying management in schools and/or societal settings, and inform intervention strategies for maintaining the quality of life of adolescents being bullied.