Sense of School Belonging as a Mediator of the Relationship between Witnessing Bullying and Internalizing Symptoms
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Witnessing Bullying
1.2. Sense of School Belonging
1.3. The Current Study
2. Study 1
2.1. Methods
2.1.1. Participants and Procedures
2.1.2. Measures
Bullying Victimization
Sense of School Belonging
Depressive Symptoms
Anxiety Symptoms
Somatic Symptoms
2.1.3. Data Analysis
2.2. Results
3. Study 2
3.1. Methods
3.1.1. Participants and Procedures
3.1.2. Measures
Bullying Victimization
Sense of School Belonging
Depressive Symptoms
Social Anxiety
3.1.3. Data Analysis
3.2. Results
4. Discussion
4.1. Limitations and Directions for Future Research
4.2. Implications for School-Based Bullying Prevention
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Measure | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Witnessing Bullying Item | __ | ||||||
2. Witnessing Bullying Frequency Item | 0.44 ** | __ | |||||
3. Witnessing Bullying Frequency Scale | 0.79 ** | 0.60 ** | __ | ||||
4. Sense of School Belonging | −0.05 | −0.28 ** | −0.08 | __ | |||
5. Depressive Symptoms | 0.25 ** | 0.17 | 0.26 ** | −0.14 | __ | ||
6. Anxiety Symptoms | 0.29 ** | 0.26 ** | 0.35 ** | −0.10 | 0.62 ** | __ | |
7. Somatic Symptoms | 0.15 | 0.13 | 0.22 ** | −0.18 * | 0.44 ** | 0.56 ** | __ |
Effect | E | SE | Lower 95% CI | Upper 95% CI | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Witnessing Bullying Effect on Sense of School Belonging | −0.63 | −0.23 | −0.38 | −0.07 | 0.006 |
Sense of School Belonging Effect on Internalizing Symptoms | −0.08 | −0.50 | −0.66 | −0.29 | 0.001 |
Witnessing Bullying Effect on Bullying Victimization | 0.01 | 0.25 | 0.06 | 0.41 | 0.01 |
Indirect Effect | 0.05 | 0.12 | 0.03 | 0.22 | 0.004 |
Measure | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Witnessing Bullying Item | __ | |||||
2. Witnessing Bullying Frequency Item | 0.56 ** | __ | ||||
3. Witnessing Bullying Frequency Scale | 0.17 ** | 0.13 | __ | |||
4. Sense of School Belonging | −0.16 | −0.19 * | −0.21 ** | __ | ||
5. Depressive Symptoms | 0.35 ** | 0.29 ** | 0.06 | −0.61 ** | __ | |
6. Social Anxiety | 0.15 | 0.16 | 0.14 | −0.46 ** | 0.63 ** | __ |
Effect | E | SE | Lower 95% CI | Upper 95% CI | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Witnessing Bullying Effect on Sense of School Belonging | −0.80 | −0.20 | −0.40 | −0.02 | 0.02 |
Sense of School Belonging Effect on Internalizing Symptoms | −0.21 | −0.57 | −0.73 | −0.36 | 0.001 |
Witnessing Bullying Effect on Bullying Victimization | 0.47 | 0.31 | 0.16 | 0.45 | 0.001 |
Indirect Effect | 0.17 | 0.11 | 0.03 | 0.40 | 0.02 |
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Doumas, D.M.; Midgett, A. Sense of School Belonging as a Mediator of the Relationship between Witnessing Bullying and Internalizing Symptoms. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21, 873. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070873
Doumas DM, Midgett A. Sense of School Belonging as a Mediator of the Relationship between Witnessing Bullying and Internalizing Symptoms. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2024; 21(7):873. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070873
Chicago/Turabian StyleDoumas, Diana M., and Aida Midgett. 2024. "Sense of School Belonging as a Mediator of the Relationship between Witnessing Bullying and Internalizing Symptoms" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 21, no. 7: 873. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21070873