Bullying and victimization, depressive mood, and non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents: The moderating role of parental support

Abstract

We investigated the associations of bullying and victimization with non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), as well as the mediating role of depressive mood in a sample of 785 adolescents. Further, we explored the moderating role of parental support in these associations. All participants completed questionnaires on bullying, victimization, NSSI, depressive mood, and parental support. Almost 21 % of adolescents engaged in at least one form of NSSI. Both bullying and victimization of being bullied increased the risk of engaging in NSSI. The relationships of both bullying and victimization with NSSI were partially mediated by depressive mood. Finally, the relationships of both bullying and victimization with NSSI and of depressive mood with NSSI were found to be moderated by parental support, indicating that these relationships were less pronounced in adolescents who experienced high parental support. Hence, we underscore the need to include both emotion-regulation training and family-based interventions into bully intervention programs to prevent NSSI.