Youth Bullying and Suicide: Risk and Protective Factor Profiles for Bullies, Victims, Bully-Victims and the Uninvolved

Abstract

Bullying is closely associated with suicide. This study validates mixed evidence on whether young bullies, victims, bully-victims, and those uninvolved in bullying differ in suicidality, risk, protective factor profiles, and predictors of suicide. A total of 2004 Hong Kong adolescents and young adults completed the Hong Kong Online Survey on Youth Mental Health and Internet Usage in 2018. Bullies, victims, and bully victims, as opposed to the uninvolved, were found to possess higher tendencies of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. They had more distinct rather than overlapping risk and protective factor profiles yet shared psychological distress and diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder as common predictors of suicide. The results indicate that suicide screening assessments and training to detect common suicide predictors can benefit youngsters regardless of their bullying involvement. From the discussion, group-specific interventions include restorative justice approaches to promote reintegration and help-seeking among bullies, peer, and professional support programs geared towards lowering victim isolation and equipping gatekeepers such as teachers with skills to connect with both bullies and victims.

School assets and bullying in Chinese youth: A multiple mediation model of intentional self-regulation and internet gaming disorder

“…Furthermore, cross-cultural evidence suggests that bullying will cause serious psychosomatic problems in children and adolescents (17), including personality disorders, psychotic symptoms, and poor school safety (18)(19)(20). Bullying also resulted in a variety of negative externalizing outcomes that hampered their adaptive development, such as low emotional adjustment, academic difficulties, substance abuse, self-harm, weapon possession, violent behavior, and delinquency (21)(22)(23)(24)(25). It is clear that bullying can jeopardize school safety in elementary and secondary schools and the harmony and stability of society as a whole.…”

Teachers’ Perceptions and Position Regarding the Problem of Bullying and Its Socio-Educational Prevention

“…Some studies have shown that the inclusion of moral education in the curriculum, together with the implementation of cultural activities, proved to be an effective measure to prevent bullying [ 65 ]. Other studies show that schools that implemented bullying prevention and control measures showed a marked decrease in bullying incidents compared to those that did not [ 83 , 84 , 85 ]. These findings suggest that bullying prevention and control measures could effectively reduce bullying incidents among students.…”

“Falling at the First Hurdle” : Phenomenological Analysis of Students Suicide in Indonesia from the Perspective of Developmental Psychopathology and Its Implications for School Counseling

“…Moreover, a significant relationship was found between adolescents involved in bullying, either as victims or perpetrators, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Thus, bullying can be considered a risk factor for suicidal behavior (Kwan et al, 2022). Conversely, positive friendships among students and accompanied by quality family relationships are expected to be protective factors that can prevent students from engaging in suicidal behavior (Nielassoff et al, 2023).…”

“…Furthermore, early intervention in issues like bullying is crucial to providing social support for victims, facilitating trauma healing, and ensuring fair guidance for the perpetrators (Cross et al, 2021), aiming to prevent the problem from escalating. This is understandable, considering that anyone involved in bullying is at risk of having suicidal thoughts or behaviors (Kwan et al, 2022). Therefore, there is a need for widespread suicide prevention awareness programs involving parents, communities, and specific counseling for student groups vulnerable to socio-emotional issues.…”