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- Ziyi Chen, 

- Jianhua Zhang, 

- Tiancheng Zhang, 

- Fulan Zhang, 

- Yang Liu, 

- Yuanyuan Ma, 

- Yiyi Chen & 

- Zeng Zhou 

Objective

This study aims to investigate the longitudinal interplay between early adolescent bullying victimization and suicidal ideation, and to analyze the mediating role of self-efficacy in their dynamic relationship.

Methods

A cluster sampling method was employed to select 1,023 seventh-grade students from a middle school in an urban district of Hunan Province between March and December 2023. Three waves of data collection were conducted using questionnaires that included scales for adolescent bullying victimization, suicidal ideation (PANSI), and general self-efficacy (GSES). The cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) was utilized to explore the reciprocal relationships between early bullying victimization, suicidal ideation, and self-efficacy.

Results

Early adolescent bullying victimization was found to both directly and indirectly predict suicidal ideation through its impact on self-efficacy. Conversely, suicidal ideation did not directly predict the level of bullying victimization but was able to indirectly predict it through its effect on self-efficacy.

Conclusion

The bullying victimization in early adolescents can directly predict the level of suicidal ideation and can also indirectly influence suicidal ideation by affecting self-efficacy; Suicidal ideation does not directly predict the level of bullying victimization; rather, it can indirectly predict bullying victimization through its impact on self-efficacy.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

Suicide continues to be a significant global public health challenge . Among related behaviors, suicidal ideation is often regarded as a precursor to suicide, reflecting an individual’s clear desire to end their life without having acted on it . Recent reports indicate that the prevalence of suicidal thoughts among adolescents worldwide ranges from 8.3 to 31.3%, underscoring a concerning trend . Research suggests that early adolescence is a critical period for the development of suicidal ideation, as individuals often encounter increased academic pressure and changes in their social environment . Adolescents experiencing suicidal thoughts may suffer from negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, and despair, which can lead to self-harm or suicide . This situation can have a profound psychological impact on their families and communities, resulting in adverse social consequences . Given the widespread and harmful nature of suicidal ideation among adolescents, research on early suicidal thoughts in this population is essential.

Beyond its impact on adolescents’ mental and physical health, increasing research attention has been given to the mechanisms underlying the development of suicidal ideation . Frequent reports of youth bullying incidents in online and social media have drawn significant academic attention . Bullying victimization, as a crucial factor influencing suicidal ideation, refers to the phenomenon where individuals experience prolonged or repeated harm from others, characterized by its repetitive, intentional nature and power imbalance . Studies indicate that bullying victimization is widespread during adolescence, severely harming the mental and physical development of youth . Prolonged experiences of bullying can deepen levels of suicidal ideation, consequently affecting overall quality of life . Although previous scholars have conducted valuable explorations into the relationship between suicidal ideation and bullying victimization, research examining the early suicidal ideation of adolescents from a longitudinal perspective remains scarce. There is ongoing debate regarding whether the relationship between early bullying victimization and suicidal ideation is mutually predictive or unidirectional .

Self-efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in their capacity to navigate specific situations and achieve desired outcomes . As a crucial positive psychological asset in early adolescence, it is widely recognized for its role in promoting healthy behaviors and intervening in problematic behaviors . Recent studies have extensively examined the detrimental effects of low self-efficacy on early health-compromising behaviors among adolescents. On the one hand, low self-efficacy may exacerbate emotional distress, intensifying negative emotions such as depression, hopelessness, and suicidal ideation . On the other hand, low self-efficacy is also viewed as a vulnerability factor for bullying victimization, affecting adolescents’ social adaptability. This may lead individuals to adopt avoidant attitudes towards interpersonal interactions, resulting in marginalization and increased susceptibility to bullying . Notably, there remains a lack of research on the mechanisms underlying the relationship between self-efficacy, bullying victimization, and suicidal ideation, particularly regarding their dynamic characteristics, which require further investigation.

In summary, this study proposes the following hypotheses:

Hypothesis

a: Bullying victimization in early adolescence predicts suicidal ideation.

Hypothesis

b: Suicidal ideation in early adolescence inversely predicts bullying victimization.

Hypothesis

a: Bullying victimization in early adolescence predicts suicidal ideation through self-efficacy.

Hypothesis

b: Suicidal ideation in early adolescence inversely predicts bullying victimization through self-efficacy.

Previous studies have predominantly employed cross-sectional designs, failing to adequately reveal the complex relationships among suicidal ideation, bullying victimization, and self-efficacy. Mediation analysis using longitudinal data can address the limitations of cross-sectional studies, providing more reliable evidence for clarifying the interactions and mediating mechanisms among these variables . Therefore, this study aims to construct a Cross-Lagged Panel Model (CLPM) and utilize a three-wave longitudinal survey to investigate the interplay between early suicidal ideation and bullying victimization, analyzing the mediating role of self-efficacy. This research seeks to provide evidence-based insights for the mental and physical health development of adolescents.

Materials and methods

Participants

This study focuses on seventh-grade students from five public middle schools in a district of Hunan Province, China, who have no cognitive impairments and can independently complete questionnaires. Using a random cluster sampling method, we selected five classes from each school, resulting in a total of 1,276 seventh-grade students as the tracking sample. Assessments were conducted in September 2023, March 2024, and September 2024. After excluding invalid questionnaires with missing values or inconsistent responses, 1,023 completed questionnaires with consistent coding across all three assessments were retained as the final valid research sample.

This study was approved by the Biomedical Ethics Committee of Jishou University (Approval No. JSDX-2023-0034), and data from the follow-up investigation will be used solely for academic analysis and research purposes. Prior to data collection, the research team contacted the administrative departments of the participating schools to introduce the study’s objectives, methods, and ethical considerations, obtaining written approval from the relevant authorities. In accordance with ethical guidelines for research involving minors, the research team informed all participating students and their parents about the study’s purpose, procedures, and confidentiality measures. Assent was obtained from all student participants, and informed consent was provided by their parents.

Procedures

The investigators in this study were graduate students from the School of Sports Science at Jishou University, demonstrating strong professional competence and a rigorous work ethic. Before data collection, all investigators received standardized training covering key terminology, questionnaire content, and relevant academic concepts. The assessments were conducted anonymously in classrooms, with questionnaires distributed and collected on-site. Informed consent was obtained from both class teachers and participants before data collection. At the beginning of the assessments, investigators explained the study’s purpose and provided standardized instructions to ensure participants fully understood the questionnaire requirements. Participants were informed that their data would be used exclusively for scientific research and that their personal information would remain confidential. They were encouraged to respond honestly and ask for clarification if needed. Investigators answered these inquiries following the original scale guidelines to ensure accurate completion.

Instruments

Basic information

In this study, participants’ basic demographic information was collected through a questionnaire, including gender, left-behind status and only-child status.

Left-behind status was categorized into left-behind adolescents and non-left-behind adolescents. Left-Behind adolescents were defined as those who, in the past six months, had been left in rural areas under the care of other relatives or guardians due to parental labor migration. In contrast, Non-Left-Behind adolescents were those who had lived with both parents during the past six months and had not been separated due to parental migration . Regarding only-child status, an Only-Child was defined as the sole child in a family, with parents having neither biological nor adopted siblings. Conversely, a Non-Only-Child referred to an individual who had at least one biological or adopted sibling within the family structure .

Bullying victimization

The study utilized a bullying victimization scale from Ji Chengye’s “Comprehensive Survey Report on Health-Related/Risk Behaviors among Chinese Adolescents” . This scale consists of seven items (e.g., “Have you been maliciously teased?“), employing a 4-point Likert scoring system, ranging from 1 = “Never” to 4 = “Always.” It encompasses four dimensions: physical bullying, verbal bullying, relational bullying, and sexual harassment. A higher total score indicates a greater severity of bullying experienced by the individual. In this study, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for this scale were 0.91, 0.89, and 0.92 across three assessments.

Self-Efficacy

The study employed the Chinese version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), developed by Schwarzer et al. and translated and revised by Wang Caikang et al. , to assess early self-efficacy in adolescents. The scale consists of 10 items (e.g., “If I try my best, I can always solve problems.“), employing a 4-point Likert scoring system, ranging from 1 = “Not at all true” to 4 = “Exactly true.” A higher total score indicates greater self-efficacy. In this research, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the scale were 0.86, 0.87, and 0.85 across three assessments.

Suicidal ideation

The study utilized the Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Scale (PANSI), developed by Osman et al. and translated by Wang Xuezhi et al. , to assess early suicidal ideation in adolescents. This scale contains 14 items (e.g., “Feeling hopeless about the future and having thoughts of suicide.”), employing a 5-point Likert scoring system ranging from 1 = “Never” to 5 = “Often.” Participants rated each item based on their experiences over the past two weeks, which encompass two dimensions: positive suicidal ideation (6 items) and negative suicidal ideation (8 items). Positive suicidal ideation scores are reverse-coded, and the total score is calculated by summing the item scores, with higher scores indicating greater suicidal ideation. In this study, the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the scale across three assessments were 0.88, 0.90, and 0.89.

Data analysis

Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 27.0 and Mplus 8.3. Descriptive statistics were performed in SPSS 27.0, with categorical data expressed as frequencies and percentages, and continuous data presented as mean?±?standard deviation (—x±s). Group comparisons were carried out using t-tests or one-way ANOVA. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to examine the relationships between variables.

After controlling for demographic factors such as gender, rural residency status, and only-child status, we constructed a cross-lagged model using Mplus 8.3. The cross-lagged model is a statistical approach designed for longitudinal data and is commonly used to test hypotheses and explore causal relationships among variables. By analyzing variable relationships at different time points, this method helps reveal causal directions and mutual influences. In this study, we used autoregressive and cross-lagged regression coefficients to analyze the longitudinal relationship between early suicidal ideation and bullying victimization in adolescents . We employed the bootstrap method to examine the longitudinal mediating effect of self-efficacy between suicidal ideation and bullying victimization. We conducted model estimation using robust maximum likelihood estimation (MLR) and handled missing data with full information maximum likelihood estimation (FIML). We assessed model adequacy using multiple fit indices, including the comparative fit index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis index (TLI), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR). According to standard cutoff criteria, CFI/TLI?>?0.90 and SRMR/RMSEA? https://standingabovethecrowd.com/james-donaldson-on-mental-health-the-relationship-between-early-adolescent-bullying-victimization-and-suicidal-ideation-the-longitudinal-mediating-role-of-self-efficacy/