The impact of school bullying on the mental health of boarding secondary school students: the mediating roles of school belongingness and resilience
Abstract Background School bullying has become a significant educational and public health issue worldwide. Boarding secondary school students, who live within the school environment and away from familial support, are particularly vulnerable. This study aims to address this gap by examining the imp...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-025-00887-4 |
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| Summary: | Abstract Background School bullying has become a significant educational and public health issue worldwide. Boarding secondary school students, who live within the school environment and away from familial support, are particularly vulnerable. This study aims to address this gap by examining the impact of school bullying on the mental health of boarding secondary school students and exploring the mediating roles of school belongingness and psychological resilience. Methods A stratified random cluster sampling method was used to survey students from 4 boarding secondary schools in Hebei Province, China. A total of 1,560 valid responses were obtained from 1,700 questionnaires distributed. Participants provided self-reported data based on the structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics summarized the data, and Chi-square tests, t-tests, and ANOVA were used to examine demographic differences. Pearson correlation analysis assessed relationships among bullying, mental health, school belongingness, and resilience. Path analysis was performed to test the hypothesized mediation model with 5000 bootstrap sampling. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0 and Amos 28.0. Results Abnormal mental health status was reported by 33.8% of students, with 23.3% exhibiting mild abnormalities, 8.7% moderate abnormalities, 1.3% severe abnormalities, and 0.1% exhibiting very severe abnormalities. Verbal bullying, physical bullying, and social bullying were reported by 26.9%, 10.1%, and 15.4% of students, respectively, with higher prevalence among males (P < 0.05). Students who experienced bullying showed significantly higher rates of mental health problems (P < 0.001). Mediation analysis indicated that school belongingness [β = 0.017 (0.014–0.020)] and psychological resilience [β = 0.002 (0.001–0.003)] partially mediated the effect of bullying on mental health, accounting for 35.7% and 3.2% of the total effect, respectively. Conclusion This study reveals the significant impact of school bullying on mental health among boarding secondary school students in Hebei Province, China. The findings underscore the critical roles of school belongingness and psychological resilience as mediators in the relationship between bullying and mental health outcomes. The study highlights the need for comprehensive intervention strategies that promote a positive school climate, strengthen student-teacher relationships and enhance peer support systems to foster a strong sense of school belongingness and resilience, ultimately improving overall student well-being. |
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| ISSN: | 1753-2000 |