Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026
07:06
Chronic Social Defeat Stress in Early Adolescent Male Mice
Published on: January 24, 2025
School Bullying Involvement and Adolescent Depressive Mood: A Daily Diary Study.
Ningning Gong1, Sen Li2, Qingliang Ding1
1School of Education, Hebei University, No. 180 Wusi Dong Road, Lian Chi District, Baoding City, Hebei Province, 071002, China.
Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
|July 1, 2026
Summary
Daily school bullying involvement, including perpetration and victimization, is linked to increased adolescent depressive mood. School belonging plays a mediating role in these associations, highlighting the need to address social connections to mitigate negative emotional outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Adolescent Health
- Sociology
Background:
- School bullying is a prevalent issue with significant negative impacts on adolescent mental health.
- Previous research has established links between bullying roles and depressive mood, but daily dynamics and mechanisms require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the daily associations between four types of school bullying involvement (perpetration, victimization, bystanding, defending) and adolescent depressive mood.
- To investigate the mediating role of school belonging in these relationships at both between-person and within-person levels.
- To explore the temporal dynamics of bullying involvement and depressive mood over consecutive days.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study involving 453 adolescents (aged 14.10 years) completing 20 daily diaries.
- Data collected included daily reports of bullying involvement, perceived school belonging, and depressive mood.
- Multilevel modeling and lagged analyses were employed to examine between-person and within-person effects.
Main Results:
- At the between-person level, bullying perpetration, victimization, and bystanding were associated with higher depressive mood. Defending behavior showed no significant association.
- Within-person analyses revealed that daily perpetration, victimization, and bystanding predicted increased depressive mood the following day.
- School belonging mediated the link between bullying involvement and depressive mood at the between-person level, and between daily perpetration and subsequent depressive mood within-person.
Conclusions:
- Distinguishing between-person and within-person processes is crucial for understanding the complex relationship between daily bullying involvement and adolescent emotional adjustment.
- Interventions aimed at enhancing school belonging may help mitigate the negative effects of various forms of bullying on adolescent depressive mood.
- The temporal nature of bullying's impact on mood necessitates consideration of different time lags in research and practice.
Related Concept Videos
02:04Bullying
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is bullying.
01:27Depressive Disorders: MDD and Dysthymia
Depressive disorders are a group of mental health conditions characterized by pervasive feelings of sadness, diminished pleasure in life, and a significant impact on daily functioning. These conditions are most prevalent in individuals during their 30s and affect women at twice the rate of men. Contrary to popular belief, younger individuals are generally more susceptible to these disorders than older adults. Two key types of depressive disorders include Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and...
01:27Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Depressive disorders result from a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors, each contributing uniquely to the development and persistence of the condition. Understanding these factors provides critical insight into the multifaceted nature of depression.
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
01:03Long-term Depression
Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over time, all...
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over time, all...
01:05Long-term Depression
Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
01:18Depression: Overview
Depression is a prevalent mental illness marked by persistent sadness and lack of interest in previously enjoyable activities. It can take several forms, including major depression, persistent depressive disorder, and bipolar I and II disorders. Symptoms range from emotional changes like chronic worry to physical changes like sleep disturbances and suicidal thoughts. From a neurobiological perspective, depression is believed to be triggered by abnormalities in the brain's prefrontal cortex,...