Peer Victimization and Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Mediating Role of Alienation and Moderating Role of Mindfulness

Abstract

Peer victimization and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are two major public health problems, with the former being associated with outward attack and the latter characterizing inward attack. Peer victimization has been shown to be associated with adolescents’ NSSI. However, less is known about the mechanism underlying the association. Based on the experiential avoidance model of NSSI, this study tested whether the sense of alienation mediated the association between peer victimization and NSSI, and whether this process was weakened by mindfulness. A total of 1,574 Chinese adolescents (51.1% girls; ages 12–16 years) completed questionnaires concerning NSSI, peer victimization, alienation, and mindfulness. Regression-based analyses indicated that peer victimization predicted adolescents’ NSSI through the indirect effect of alienation, and mindfulness weakened this indirect effect. These findings suggest that victimized adolescents may injure themselves as an emotion regulation strategy. The results highlight the importance to implement programs aimed to improve the school climate to reduce the risk of adolescent NSSI. Furthermore, we underscore the need to include emotion-regulation training (e.g., mindful practice) into bully intervention programs to prevent NSSI.

Correlation Analysis of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Behavior with Childhood Abuse, Peer Victimization, and Psychological Resilience in Adolescents with Depression

“…Gu et al . [ 10 ] emphasized that improving school climate is conducive to reducing the risk of NSSI in adolescents. Wang et al .…”

“…Gu et al . [ 10 ] conducted a questionnaire survey on 949 Chinese adolescents and found that childhood emotional abuse was positively correlated with NSSI. The above studies suggest that childhood abuse is strongly associated with adolescent depression or NSSI.…”

The predictor of non-suicidal self-injury behavior among adolescents: a cross-sectional study

“…Cyberbullying entails individuals or groups repeatedly transmitting hostile or aggressive messages via internet platforms with the aim of inflicting harm or discomfort upon others (Yu et al, 2020). This phenomenon can contribute to predicting NSSI due to the fact that constant exposure to derogatory messages, threats, or harassment online can lead to profound psychological distress among victims, increasing their vulnerability to engaging in NSSI as a maladaptive coping mechanism (Sampasa-Kanyinga, Lalande and Colman, 2020; Gu, Fang and Yang, 2023). Additionally, the public humiliation and shame associated with cyberbullying, often occurring in a highly visible online environment, amplify the psychological trauma experienced by victims, further increasing their susceptibility to engaging in NSSI as a means of coping with overwhelming emotional distress (Mahtani, Melvin and Hasking, 2018;Worsley, McIntyre and Corcoran, 2019).…”

The Mediating Role of Rumination in Adolescent Life Events and Junior High School Students’ Doubt of Learning Value

“…The scale consisted of 22 items and three dimensions, including forced thinking, introspection and symptom rumination. The first dimension consists of five items (5,10,13,15,16), the second dimension consists of five items (7,11,12,20,21), and the third dimension consists of twelve items (1,2,3,4,6,8,9,14,17,18,19,22). The questionnaire was scored on a 4-point scale, in which choice 1 indicated never, and one point was calculated.…”