School bullying and non-suicidal self-injury: the mediating role of depression and the moderating role of social support

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship between school bullying and non-suicidal self-injury and the roles of depression and social support among high school students from single-parent families. Methods: The School Bullying Questionnaire, the Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Behavior Rating Questionnaire, the Stream Call Depression Self-Rating Scale, and the Adolescent Social Support Scale were used to investigate 312 high school students from single-parent families. Results: (1) School bullying positively predicted non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors among high school students from single-parent families; (2) depression mediated the relationship between school bullying and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors among high school students from single-parent families; and (3) social support negatively moderated the second half of the pathway and the direct pathway of this mediation model. Conclusion: There is a moderated mediating effect between school bullying and non-suicidal self-injury among high school students from single-parent families, depression is a mediating variable in the relationship, and social support mitigates the effects of school bullying and depression on non-suicidal self-injurious behavior.