The Relationship between Cyber-Ostracism and Adolescents’ Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: Mediating Roles of Depression and Experiential Avoidance

Abstract

Based on the experiential avoidance model, the current study aims to test the relationship between cyber-ostracism and adolescents’ non-suicidal self-injury and to explore the mediating roles of depression and experiential avoidance. A sample of 1062 middle school students completed questionnaires on cyber-ostracism, depression, experiential avoidance, and self-injurious behavior. The results showed that cyber-ostracism, depression, experiential avoidance, and non-suicidal self-injury were positively correlated with each other. After controlling for gender and age, the mediation model test shows that cyber-ostracism was significantly and positively associated with non-suicidal self-injury. Depression and experiential avoidance mediated the relationship between cyber-ostracism and non-suicidal self-injury parallelly and sequentially. This study highlights the potential mechanisms of action between cyber-ostracism and adolescent non-suicidal self-injury and finds that cyber-ostracism is a risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury. This founding suggests that extra attention should be paid to the role of the online environment in addition to the offline environment experiences for the intervention of non-suicidal self-injury.

The effects of cyber-ostracism on college students' aggressive behavior: a moderated mediation model

“…With the popularization of the Internet, online socialization among college students has become a widespread phenomenon. Due to the convenience and breadth of online social interaction, as well as its characteristics such as anonymity, lack of social cues, and fast spread of media, online ostracism may cause more severe harm to individuals compared to face-to-face ostracism ( 52 ). Ostracism experiences are often closely related to individuals’ aggression tendencies ( 43 ).…”

The association between family adaptability and adolescent depression: the chain mediating role of social support and self-efficacy

“…In the short term, depression can negatively impact adolescents’ academic performance, social functioning, and interpersonal relationships ( Chavez et al, 2023 ). In the long term, adolescents are prone to self-injury, suicide, and other behavioral problems once they are depressed ( Ding et al, 2022 ; Neslusan et al, 2023 ), and at the risk of developing related psychiatric disorders in adulthood ( Robin et al, 2017 ). Therefore, it is particularly important to improve the mental health level of adolescents, to prevent and reduce adolescent depression.…”

Effects of physical exercise on non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents: the chain mediating role of perceived social support and self-concept

“…In a report by the World Health Organization, it was stated that suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15–29 worldwide ( 1 ), where non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is an important predictor of suicidal behavior ( 2 ), and NSSI has become an increasingly serious global public health problem ( 3 ). Non-suicidal self-injury is defined as: an act in which an individual intentionally injures and directly damages his or her own body tissues without suicidal intent, commonly by cutting, stabbing, or excessive friction, which can cause bleeding and bruising, and this behavior is socially unacceptable ( 4 , 5 ). In recent years, the prevalence of NSSI in the adolescent population and its harmful effects have received widespread attention, and a Meta-analysis showed that the percentage of Chinese secondary school students who had experienced NSSI behaviors was 22.37% ( 6 ).…”