The Mediating Effect of Bullying on "Parental Support, Peer Support Matching" and NSSI Behavior among Adolescents

Abstract

Background:Being subjected to bullying is a significant risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents. On the other hand, parental support, peer support, and social connectedness play protective roles in mitigating NSSI in this population. However, the precise impact of the matching effects of parental support and peer support on bullying and NSSI requires further exploration. Methods: The study employed the "Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale," the "Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale," the "Social Connectedness Scale," and the "Ottawa Self-injury Inventory" to survey 1277 adolescents. Polynomial regression analysis and response surface analysis were applied to examine the mediating role of bullying and social connectedness in the relationship between "parental support, peer support matching" and NSSI. Results: The results indicate that parental support (r=0.287, P<0.001), peer support (r=0.288, P<0.001), and social connectedness (r=0.401, P<0.001) serve as protective factors against NSSI in adolescents. Conversely, bullying (r=0.425, P<0.001) acts as a risk factor for NSSI in this population. Adolescents with low parental and peer support experienced more bullying than those with high parental and peer support, and those with low parental and high peer support experienced less bullying than those with high parental support and low peer support (R^2=0.1371,P＜0.001). Social connectedness moderated the effect between bullyingand NSSI in this model (β=0.006,P＜0.001). Limitations:Due to the underrepresentation of participants and the lack of longitudinal data support, the explanatory power of causality between variables was limited. More studies will expand to the national sample and supplement a longitudinal studies to enhance the generalizability and robustness of the findings in the future. Conclusion: This study reveals the influence mechanism of parental and peer support matching experienced by adolescents on bullying and NSSI, and the moderating role of socialconnectedness, which enriches the developmental theory of adolescent NSSI and provides a reference for the prevention and intervention of adolescent NSSI behavior.