Cyberbullying victimization and nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: Testing a moderated mediating model of emotion reactivity and dispositional mindfulness

Abstract

BackgroundLittle is known about how cyberbullying victimization may influence adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and what conditions may buffer the detrimental effects of cyberbullying victimization. By integrating multiple theories, this study investigated emotion reactivity as an underlying mediator and mindfulness as a potential moderator to explain the link between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI among Chinese adolescents. MethodA total of 2,523 participants with an age range of 11 to 16 years old (Mage = 13.22, SD = 1.60, 48.4% girls) completed assessments. ResultsAfter controlling SES, age, gender, traditional bullying victimization, and child maltreatment, latent moderated structural equation modeling revealed that emotion reactivity mediated the association between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI. In addition, dispositional mindfulness was found to buffer the relation between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI, but not the relation between cyberbullying victimization and emotion reactivity. LimitationsThis study was cross-sectional in nature and relied exclusively upon self-report measures. ConclusionsThe findings provide researchers and practitioners with a deeper understanding of the relation between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI among adolescents and its underlying mechanism. Suggested intervention and prevention strategies include helping youth reduce emotion reactivity to break the cyberbullying victimization to NSSI cycle and to enhance youths’ mindfulness to buffer against the ill effects of cyberbullying victimization.