Association between school bullying and self-harm in Chinese children and adolescents: the mediating role of mindfulness.
Changlin Zhang, Fang Liu, Hailiang Ran, Yusan Che, Die Fang, Shuqing Liu, Guiqing Zheng, Yandie He, Yi Xiang, Jin Lu, Yuanyuan Xiao
BMC Public Health May 15, 2025 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22991-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 5,897 |
| Population | Adolescents in Yunnan Province, China |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mental health Non-suicidal self-injury School bullying |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | School bullying was associated with increased odds of NSSI, and mindfulness partially mediated this relationship, with acting with awareness showing the strongest mediation. |
Abstract
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) poses a significant challenge to the health and well-being of children and adolescents, with prior studies suggesting a strong association with experiences of school bullying. While mindfulness has been identified as a protective factor against NSSI, its mediating role in the relationship between school bullying and NSSI remains insufficiently investigated. Using a representative sample from Yunnan Province, China, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between school bullying, NSSI, and mindfulness. A population-based sample of 5897 adolescents in two places of Yunnan Province were surveyed by using self-administered questionnaires. Logistic regression model was used to measure the association between school bullying and NSSI. Path model was further fitted to examine the mediation of mindfulness in the association between school bullying and NSSI. The lifetime NSSI prevalence in our study sample was 34.6% (95% CI: 30.3%-39.0%). School bullying was associated with an increased risk of NSSI (OR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.68-2.43), while a higher mindfulness score was associated with a reduced NSSI risk (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97-0.99). Path analysis showed mindfulness significantly mediated the relationship between school bullying and NSSI, accounting for 34.0% of the total association. Among all dimensions of mindfulness, mindfulness observing, describing, and acting with awareness significantly mediated the association, with acting with awareness showing the strongest mediation. The findings indicate a positive correlation between school bullying and NSSI, with mindfulness serving as a significant mediator in this association. Enhancing mindfulness among children and adolescents could be an effective strategy to mitigate school bullying associated NSSI.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 10
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Depressive Symptoms, and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Amongst Adolescents Archives of Suicide Research March 16, 2016
- Dispositional Mindfulness and Psychological Health: a Systematic Review Mindfulness July 1, 2017
and 5 more in the library