The association between bullying-victimisation and sleep disturbances in adolescence: Evidence from a twin study

Mobile phone addiction was the mediator and physical activity was the moderator between bullying victimization and sleep quality

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Bullying victimization is strongly associated with sleep quality issues in primary school students, yet the underlying mechanisms among these variables require further exploration. This study investigates the mediating role of mobile phone addiction and the moderating role of physical activity in the relationship between bullying victimization and sleep quality among primary school students, contributing to a deeper understanding of these psychological processes.

METHODS

This study utilized a convenience sampling method to recruit 502 primary school students in 2023. The sample included 232 boys and 270 girls, with ages ranging from 10 to 12 years (mean age = 11.15 ± 0.62). Participants were recruited from specific region or school district to ensure a diverse representation of the target population. Ethical approval was obtained from the relevant institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained from both the students and their parents or guardians prior to data collection.

RESULTS

Bullying victimization was significantly positively correlated with both sleep quality issues and mobile phone addiction. Additionally, mobile phone addiction was significantly positively correlated with sleep quality issues. The analysis confirmed that mobile phone addiction mediates the relationship between bullying victimization and sleep quality. Furthermore, physical activity was found to moderate the relationship between bullying victimization and mobile phone addiction.

CONCLUSIONS

This study elucidates the psychological mechanisms underlying the relationship between bullying victimization and sleep quality among primary school students. Mobile phone addiction serves as a mediating factor, while physical activity acts as a moderating factor in the link between bullying victimization and mobile phone addiction. These findings underscore the importance of addressing mobile phone addiction and promoting physical activity as part of targeted interventions to improve sleep quality among primary school students.

The prevalence and association of traditional bullying and cyber bullying with mental health among adolescent and youth students in China: a study after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions

BACKGROUND

Although bullying may affect students' mental health, its prevalence and impact on mental health among students in China after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions remains unclear. This study aimed to explored the prevalence and association of traditional and cyber bullying with mental health among Chinese adolescent and youth students post-COVID-19 restrictions.

METHODS

An online survey included 82,873 students from various educational levels in Sichuan Province, China, assessing traditional and cyber victimization, cyber perpetration, COVID-19 experiences, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore the associations between bullying and mental health problems.

RESULTS

A total of 28.3% of students reported experiencing bullying, with 23.2% traditional victimization, 17.7% cyber victimization, and 8.1% cyber perpetration. Males had significantly higher prevalence of bullying, while females had significantly higher prevalence of mental health problems. All forms of bullying significantly increased the risk of mental health problems, with traditional bullying showing the strongest association. Students who experienced all three types of bullying had significantly higher risks of insomnia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.89 [95% CI, 4.57-5.23]), anxiety (aOR 11.42, [95% CI, 10.55-12.36]), depression (aOR 11.52, [95% CI, 10.58-12.53]), and PTSD (aOR 15.48, [95% CI, 14.17-16.92]).

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the high prevalence of bullying, as well as its cumulative impact on mental health problems among adolescent and youth students. Addressing and preventing bullying is crucial to promote positive mental well-being in adolescent and youth students.

Bullying victimization and internalizing and externalizing problems in school-aged children: The mediating role of sleep disturbance and the moderating role of parental attachment

BACKGROUND

Studies have shown that bullying victimization may be related to internalizing and externalizing problems; however, the mechanism underlying this relationship remains unknown. This study explored the mediating role of sleep disturbance and the moderating role of parental attachment.

METHODS

A total of 1543 Chinese primary school students (M age = 8.92 years, SD1.7 years; range, 6-12) completed bullying victimization, sleep disturbance, and parental attachment measures, and provided information on their parents' occupations. The parents or guardians (n = 1995) also completed ratings on their children's internalizing and externalizing problems.

RESULTS

It was found that bullying victimization directly affected internalizing and externalizing problems and also influenced sleep disturbance. Regardless of the parent's socioeconomic status, parental attachment was found to moderate the relationship between bullying victimization and internalizing problems.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings contribute to understanding the partial mediating mechanism of sleep disturbance in the association between bullying victimization and internalizing and externalizing problems. The protective role of parental attachment proved central to preventing internalizing problems in bullied children. Intervention programs that enhance parental attachment and improve sleep quality could assist in mitigating the impact of bullying victimization on internalizing or externalizing problems.

Behaviour genetics and sleep: A narrative review of the last decade of quantitative and molecular genetic research in humans

During the last decade quantitative and molecular genetic research on sleep has increased considerably. New behavioural genetics techniques have marked a new era for sleep research. This paper provides a summary of the most important findings from the last ten years, on the genetic and environmental influences on sleep and sleep disorders and their associations with health-related variables (including anxiety and depression) in humans. In this review we present a brief summary of the main methods in behaviour genetic research (such as twin and genome-wide association studies). We then discuss key research findings on: genetic and environmental influences on normal sleep and sleep disorders, as well as on the association between sleep and health variables (highlighting a substantial role for genes in individual differences in sleep and their associations with other variables). We end by discussing future lines of enquiry and drawing conclusions, including those focused on problems and misconceptions associated with research of this type. In this last decade our knowledge about genetic and environmental influences on sleep and its disorders has expanded. Both, twin and genome-wide association studies show that sleep and sleep disorders are substantially influenced by genetic factors and for the very first time multiple specific genetic variants have been associated with sleep traits and disorders.

Heritability of Sleep and Its Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review summarizes recent literature on the heritability of sleep and sleep disorders in childhood and adolescence. We also identify gaps in the literature and priorities for future research.

RECENT FINDINGS

Findings indicate that age, measurement method, reporter, and timing of sleep measurements can influence heritability estimates. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified differences in the heritability of sleep problems when ancestral differences are considered, but sample sizes are small compared to adult GWAS. Most studies focus on sleep variables in the full range rather than on disorder. Studies using objective measures of sleep typically comprised small samples.

SUMMARY

Current evidence demonstrates a wide range of heritability estimates across sleep phenotypes in childhood and adolescence, but research in larger samples, particularly using objective sleep measures and GWAS, is needed. Further understanding of environmental mechanisms and the interaction between genes and environment is key for future research.