Depression and dissociation mediate the association between bullying victimization and self-cutting

Bullying victimization is experienced by more than 10% of children and adolescents worldwide and has been associated with numerous negative mental health consequences, such as depression and dissociation.

We investigated the association between bullying victimization and self-cutting in a Finnish adolescent population and whether depression and dissociation act as mediators in this association.

We used cross-sectional questionnaire data from Finnish students (age 13-18; N = 3345; boys n = 1454; girls n = 1891). Logistic regression and mediation analyses were performed.

Bullying victimized adolescents were younger, more likely to be afraid to go to school, had fewer friends, felt lonelier, and had a poorer relationship with family members, as well as higher level of depressive and dissociative symptoms compared to non-bullied adolescents. According to logistic regression analysis, the association between bullying and self-cutting remained significant despite all other adjustments besides those for depressive symptoms. In serial mediation analysis, depressive and dissociative symptoms mediated the effect of bullying victimization on self-cutting, regardless of their order in the model.

Self-cutting is more common among bullying victimized adolescents than their peers. The association is mediated by depressive and dissociative symptoms. More studies are needed to clarify the exact mechanisms via which depressive and dissociative symptoms interact with the association between bullying and self-harm.