Bullying victimization and depression among young Chinese adults with physical disability: Roles of gratitude and self-compassion

Abstract

Because bullying victimization can influence students' well-being and mental health in negative ways, bullying victimization among students with disabilities has received increased attention in the West. However, few studies have been conducted on disabled students in China. Furthermore, the mechanisms through which bullying victimization impacts depression have disproportionally focused on psychopathological variables, while protective factors remain understudied. Based on a sample of 112 college students with physically disability from one Vocational College of Special Education in Zhejiang province, the present study attempted to examine the mediating roles of gratitude and self-compassion in the association between bullying victimization and depression. Results indicated that disabled youths reported a relatively low level of bullying victimization. Bullying victimization was positively associated with depression through decreased gratitude first and then self-compassion. Study findings suggest that designing mental health prevention and intervention programs focusing on gratitude and self-compassion would help disabled college students with a history of bullying victimization.