{"title":"Divergent school bullying experiences and mental health: The mediating role of self-stigma among Chinese LGB adolescents and young adults","authors":"Changhui Song , Zheng Zhang , Kaigong Wei , Hui Xie","doi":"10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107306","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Bullying significantly impacts the mental health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents and young adults (AYAs), yet research on the specific effects of different types of bullying and the role of self-stigma is limited in China.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>This study investigated the relationships between school bullying victimization and mental health among LGB AYAs, focusing on the mediating role of self-stigma across cognition, affect, and behavior domains.</div></div><div><h3>Participants and setting</h3><div>Online survey data were collected from 621 self-identified cisgender LGB AYAs in China (M<sub>[age]</sub> = 19.58; SD = 3.19) using convenience and snowball sampling through personal referrals and online private groups.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale-Adolescents (BCS-A) assessed school bullying experiences. The Self-Stigma Scale-Short Form (SSS-S) and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 short version (DASS-21) measured stigma, depression, anxiety, and stress. Mediation analysis was conducted.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Both physical and verbal bullying were directly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Relational bullying was significantly associated with stress but not depression and anxiety. Cyberbullying did not show direct or indirect associations with these mental health outcomes. Indirect paths indicated that both physical and relational bullying affected mental health through self-stigmatizing behaviors, with cognitive and affective domains showing no mediation effect.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Differentiating self-stigma domains reveals their unique mediating roles between bullying victimization and adverse mental health among LGB AYAs in China. Findings highlight the need to improve school policies/regulations and foster inclusive environments to mitigate these adverse effects. Understanding shared risks across various types of bullying can also guide effective prevention and intervention strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51343,"journal":{"name":"Child Abuse & Neglect","volume":"161 ","pages":"Article 107306"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Child Abuse & Neglect","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0145213425000614","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/2/5 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"FAMILY STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background
Bullying significantly impacts the mental health of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents and young adults (AYAs), yet research on the specific effects of different types of bullying and the role of self-stigma is limited in China.
Objectives
This study investigated the relationships between school bullying victimization and mental health among LGB AYAs, focusing on the mediating role of self-stigma across cognition, affect, and behavior domains.
Participants and setting
Online survey data were collected from 621 self-identified cisgender LGB AYAs in China (M[age] = 19.58; SD = 3.19) using convenience and snowball sampling through personal referrals and online private groups.
Methods
The Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale-Adolescents (BCS-A) assessed school bullying experiences. The Self-Stigma Scale-Short Form (SSS-S) and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 short version (DASS-21) measured stigma, depression, anxiety, and stress. Mediation analysis was conducted.
Results
Both physical and verbal bullying were directly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Relational bullying was significantly associated with stress but not depression and anxiety. Cyberbullying did not show direct or indirect associations with these mental health outcomes. Indirect paths indicated that both physical and relational bullying affected mental health through self-stigmatizing behaviors, with cognitive and affective domains showing no mediation effect.
Conclusions
Differentiating self-stigma domains reveals their unique mediating roles between bullying victimization and adverse mental health among LGB AYAs in China. Findings highlight the need to improve school policies/regulations and foster inclusive environments to mitigate these adverse effects. Understanding shared risks across various types of bullying can also guide effective prevention and intervention strategies.
期刊介绍：
Official Publication of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect The International Journal, provides an international, multidisciplinary forum on all aspects of child abuse and neglect, with special emphasis on prevention and treatment; the scope extends further to all those aspects of life which either favor or hinder child development. While contributions will primarily be from the fields of psychology, psychiatry, social work, medicine, nursing, law enforcement, legislature, education, and anthropology, the Journal encourages the concerned lay individual and child-oriented advocate organizations to contribute.
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