<p>Association Between Bullying and Suicidal Behavior Among Chinese Adolescents: An Analysis of Gender Differences</p>

Abstract

Background: Suicide has become the leading cause of death among 15-34 years old in China, and more attention should be paid to risk factors and prevention of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. The school-based survey was conducted to test the associations of bullying behavior with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, and to assess whether the biological gender can moderate these associations. Methods: A multistage stratified cluster sampling method was used to recruit participants from high schools in Guizhou, China, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were fitted. Results: A total of 23,392 students were included in the analysis, and 45.4% were boys. The mean age of the students was 15.2 (SD: 1.9) years. Overall, 3.8% (882) of the students were victims, 4.9% (1144) were bullies, and 3.2% (736) were bully-victims. A total of 18.9% of students reported having suicidal ideation, and 3.9% reported having suicide attempts. Victims (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.15, 95% CI=1.84-2.51), bullies (AOR=3.17, 95% CI=2.78-3.62), and bully-victims (AOR=3.18, 95% CI=2.71-3.73) were at an elevated risk of suicidal ideation than neutrals; similar associations can be found in the associations between bullying behavior and suicide attempts. Further stratification analyses showed that the associations of being bullied or bullying others with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were slightly stronger in girls than in boys. Conclusion: Prevention or intervention programs are recommended to take the biological gender into consideration, and future studies are also warranted to investigate the reasons of differences by gender in the association of bullying and suicidal behavior.

The Relationship Between Bullying and Risk of Suicide Among Adolescents During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia

“…Additionally, similar to previous findings [ 30 ], females were more likely to be at a higher risk of suicide than males. These findings demonstrate that the effects of bullying on suicidal ideation and behavior among adolescents is associated with biological sex [ 15 ]. Another possible reason could be linked to the different reactions to bullying behaviors in females and males, since the risk of suicide among females has been shown to be more vulnerable to depression or mental health problems than males [ 31 ].…”

“…Studies have attempted to demonstrate the relationship between these two entities [ 14 ]. There was a higher risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among adolescents involved in bullying in any capacity, including victims, perpetrators, and those who were both victims and perpetrators [ 15 ]. One study found that children and adolescents victimized by perpetrators are vulnerable to suicide risk because they take more actions to kill themselves and have mental health problems [ 16 ].…”

Associations between Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Suicidal Behavior in Korean Adolescents: Based on Data from 18th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-Based Survey (2022)

“…Because of the negative responses to mental health and suicidal behavior among female adolescents, it seems that there are also negative aspects of mental health and suicidal behavior in the school type (Girls’, mixed school) that female adolescents attend. The level of life satisfaction (psychological distress) among adolescents worldwide (73 countries, 566,829 adolescents) was also higher in male adolescents than in female adolescents [ 44 ], and the rate of suicidal behavior was higher in female adolescents [ 45 ]. In the case of female adolescents, there is a possibility that they will experience mental health problems such as depression quickly while entering physical changes such as puberty faster than men.…”

Influence of Experiencing Bullying Victimization on Suicidal Ideation and Behaviors in Korean Adolescents

“…The experience of bullying victimization, along with various factors such as demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, mental health status, and poor social support, may increase adolescent suicide risk. For example, the association between the experience of being bullied and suicidal ideation and attempts was slightly stronger in girls than in boys [18,19,22]. Older girls who experienced bullying had a higher risk of suicidal ideation than younger girls or boys [17].…”

“…Adolescence, with an increase in emotionality, risk-taking, and focusing more on peer relationship, is an at-risk period for the development of suicidality following exposure to bullying [13]. Several studies have shown the significant relationship between the experience of bullying victimization and suicidality among adolescents [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. However, little research has been conducted on whether the experience of bullying victimization influences the transition of suicidal ideation to action [23][24][25][26].…”