Does gender moderate the relationship between bullying victimization and depression? A longitudinal study

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Psychology
• Mental Health Research
• Sociology of Education

Background:

• Bullying victimization is a known risk factor for adolescent depression.
• Longitudinal evidence on specific bullying types and gender differences is limited.
• This study addresses the gap by examining four forms of victimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the predictive effects of physical, verbal, relational, and cyberbullying on adolescent depression.
• To explore the moderating role of gender in the relationship between bullying victimization and depression.
• To provide longitudinal data on bullying and mental health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Two-wave longitudinal data collected from 457 Grade 10 students in China.
• Self-report questionnaires assessed bullying victimization (BVQ-R) and depressive symptoms (DASS-21).
• Hierarchical multiple regression and simple slope analyses were used.

Main Results:

• All four forms of bullying victimization at T1 significantly predicted increased depressive symptoms at T2.
• No statistically significant interaction effects were found between victimization types and gender.
• The predictive association between bullying and depression was consistent across genders.

Conclusions:

• Multiple forms of bullying victimization prospectively predict subsequent depressive symptoms in adolescents.
• Gender does not appear to moderate the association between bullying victimization and depression in this sample.
• Findings underscore the pervasive impact of bullying on adolescent mental health, irrespective of gender.