Bullying Victimization and Suicidal Behavior among adolescents in 28 Countries and Territories: A Moderated Mediation Model

Prince Peprah; Bernard Yeboah-Asiamah Asare; Sylvester Dodzi Nyadanu; Winifred Asare-Doku; Collins Adu; Jennifer Peprah; Joseph Osafo; Irene A Kretchy; Razak M Gyasi

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.01.029

Bullying Victimization and Suicidal Behavior among adolescents in 28 Countries and Territories: A Moderated Mediation Model

J Adolesc Health. 2023 Jul;73(1):110-117. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.01.029. Epub 2023 Mar 15.

Authors

Prince Peprah¹, Bernard Yeboah-Asiamah Asare², Sylvester Dodzi Nyadanu³, Winifred Asare-Doku⁴, Collins Adu⁵, Jennifer Peprah⁶, Joseph Osafo⁷, Irene A Kretchy⁸, Razak M Gyasi⁹

Affiliations

¹ Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
² Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia; Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
³ Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia.
⁴ National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Australia; Centre for Suicide and Violence Research (CSVR), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
⁵ Department of Health Promotion, Education and Disability Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia; Center for Social Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: collinsadu80@yahoo.com.
⁶ Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.
⁷ Centre for Suicide and Violence Research (CSVR), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; Department of Psychology, University of Ghana, Legon.
⁸ Centre for Suicide and Violence Research (CSVR), University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; Department of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Ghana.
⁹ African Population and Health Research Center, Manga Close, Nairobi, Kenya.

PMID: 36925410
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.01.029

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have increasingly shown the adverse effects of being bullied on suicidal behavior among young people, but the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. We examined the association between bullying and suicidal behavior among in-school adolescents. We further tested whether loneliness mediated the link between bullying and suicidal behavior and explored the moderated role of parental involvement in this association.

Methods: We used cross-sectional school-based data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey among 28 countries and territories. Adjusted, modified Poisson regressions with robust variance relative risks and moderation analyses were used to examine associations among bullying, suicidal behavior, and parental involvement. The mediating effect of loneliness on the bullying-suicidal behavior link was assessed using the generalized decomposition method.

Results: A total of 78,558 school-going adolescents participated in this study. Bullying was associated with a 44% increased risk of suicidal behavior after adjusting for potential confounders (relative risk = 1.44; 95% confidence interval = 1.39-1.48). Loneliness partially mediated the association between bullying and suicidal behavior, and parental involvement moderated the association.

Discussion: The findings suggest the need to recognize the dual burden of bullying and loneliness when addressing suicidal behavior and the importance of parental support in adolescents' mental health and well-being.

Keywords: Adolescents; Bullying; Loneliness; Mediation; Moderation; Parental involvement; Suicidal behavior.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Bullying*
Crime Victims*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Suicidal Ideation
Surveys and Questionnaires