Institute for the Study of Behavioral Health and Addiction, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
Department of Counselor Education, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jul 4;21(7):873. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21070873.
Bullying is a significant public health concern associated with mental health risks. Negative bullying outcomes extend beyond targets, with students who witness bullying reporting negative associated mental health consequences. Because bullying often occurs within the school setting, understanding the relationship between witnessing bullying and internalizing symptoms within the school environment can help shape school-based bullying prevention. The purpose of this study was to examine sense of school belonging as a mediator of the relationship between witnessing bullying and internalizing symptoms. We conducted two studies with middle school students ( = 130; = 147) in which we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the mediational model. Results from Study 1 and Study 2 supported the mediational model, indicating that one explanation for the relationship between witnessing bullying and internalizing symptoms is that witnessing bullying negatively impacts students' sense of school belonging, which in turn increases internalizing symptoms. Results from this study provide support for the importance of students' perceptions of school climate in the development of internalizing symptoms related to witnessing bullying. Implications for school-based bullying prevention programs are discussed.
欺凌是一个严重的公共卫生问题，与心理健康风险有关。欺凌的负面后果不仅限于目标人群，目睹欺凌的学生也报告了与之相关的负面心理健康后果。由于欺凌行为通常发生在学校环境中，了解目睹欺凌与学校环境中内化症状之间的关系有助于制定基于学校的欺凌预防措施。本研究的目的是检验学校归属感作为目睹欺凌与内化症状之间关系的中介变量。我们对中学生进行了两项研究（=130；=147），采用结构方程模型（SEM）来检验中介模型。研究 1 和研究 2 的结果支持了中介模型，表明目睹欺凌与内化症状之间关系的一个解释是，目睹欺凌会对学生的学校归属感产生负面影响，进而增加内化症状。本研究的结果为学生对学校氛围的感知在与目睹欺凌相关的内化症状的发展中的重要性提供了支持。讨论了对基于学校的欺凌预防计划的影响。
