A path to relief from the intertwined effects of school bullying and loneliness: the power of social connectedness and parental support.

BACKGROUND

School bullying is a widespread phenomenon affecting a considerable proportion of adolescents worldwide, yet the relationship between school bullying and loneliness has received little attention. The aim of the present study was to understand the relationship between experiencing school bullying and loneliness among adolescents and to explore the role of social connectedness and parental support in this dynamic.

METHODS

We used cluster sampling to select 1277 students between grades 7 and 12 in four middle schools across two cities in Sichuan Province, China. Data were collected via questionnaires and analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, chain mediation model tests, and moderation model tests.

RESULTS

We found that bullying was significantly positively correlated with adolescent loneliness (r = 0.55, P < 0.001). Additionally, social connectedness played a mediating role between bullying and adolescent loneliness (effect size 51.57%). After controlling for gender, age, and household registration type, parental support moderated the relationship between bullying and loneliness among adolescents (β=-0.05, P < 0.01). As the level of parental support increased, the positive predictive effect of bullying on loneliness weakened significantly, although this moderating effect was not significant among participants who were not "left-behind" children.

CONCLUSION

The study findings confirmed the relationship between school bullying and loneliness and revealed the internal logical relationship among social connectedness, parental support, loneliness, and school bullying. Our findings are valuable in preventing the negative effects of school bullying on left-behind children.