Depression and dissociation mediate the association between bullying victimization and self-cutting

Abstract

Background

Bullying victimization is experienced by more than 10% of children and adolescents worldwide and has been associated with numerous negative mental health consequences, such as depression and dissociation.

Aims

We investigated the association between bullying victimization and self-cutting in a Finnish adolescent population and whether depression and dissociation act as mediators in this association.

Methods

We used cross-sectional questionnaire data from Finnish students (age 13–18; N = 3345; boys n = 1454; girls n = 1891). Logistic regression and mediation analyses were performed.

Results

Bullying victimized adolescents were younger, more likely to be afraid to go to school, had fewer friends, felt lonelier, and had a poorer relationship with family members, as well as higher level of depressive and dissociative symptoms compared to non-bullied adolescents. According to logistic regression analysis, the association between bullying and self-cutting remained significant despite all other adjustments besides those for depressive symptoms. In serial mediation analysis, depressive and dissociative symptoms mediated the effect of bullying victimization on self-cutting, regardless of their order in the model.

Conclusions

Self-cutting is more common among bullying victimized adolescents than their peers. The association is mediated by depressive and dissociative symptoms. More studies are needed to clarify the exact mechanisms via which depressive and dissociative symptoms interact with the association between bullying and self-harm.

Keywords:

• Adolescent
• bullying victimization
• depressive symptoms
• dissociative symptoms
• mediation analysis

Author contributions

All the authors contributed to the study’s conception, design, and data collection. Material preparation, analysis, and the preparation of the figures and tables were performed by Manisha Hamal. The main draft of the manuscript was written by Manisha Hamal, and all the co-authors approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Due to the nature of this research, the participants of this study opposed their data being shared publicly, and supporting data are not therefore available.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by a regional grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation [#1 (North Savo) grant 65202058], the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation [#2 grant 5500], the OLVI Foundation [#3 grant 20200335], and the Otto A. Malm Foundation [#4 grant 2020]. Researcher Tommi Tolmunen was supported by the Strategic Research Council within the Academy of Finland [SchoolWell, grant number 352509, work package 352511].