Reverse Buffering Effects of Active Coping on Suicidal Ideation in Bullied Adolescents: Age Cohort Differences
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Previous research indicates that bullying victimization is a key predictor of adolescent suicidal ideation. From the perspective of the Integrated Motivational-Volitional (IMV) model, active coping strategies may buffer the feelings of defeat and humiliation caused by bullying victimization, thereby mitigating the emergence of suicidal ideation. However, this buffering effect weakens as the severity of bullying increases, reflecting a reverse buffering pattern. Moreover, due to developmental differences in the effectiveness of coping under varying levels of bullying severity, this moderating effect is further influenced by age cohort. To investigate the moderating role of active coping strategies and the moderating effect of age cohort (early-to-middle adolescents vs. late-age adolescents) in the bullying victimization-suicidal ideation relationship, we collected data from 3227 Chinese students, measuring bullying victimization, suicidal ideation, active coping strategies, age and other demographic variables. The results revealed that (a) bullying victimization was significantly and positively associated with suicidal ideation and (b) active coping significantly buffered this relationship; however, the buffering effect weakened as bullying severity increased, and (c) the reverse buffering effect of active coping was significant among early-to-middle-aged adolescents but not among late-age adolescents. This study offers important implications for designing targeted prevention and intervention strategies to reduce suicidal ideation among youth exposed to bullying.
Source: Behavioral Sciences
DOI: 10.3390/bs15121619
Authors: Sichen Liu, Qing Xiong, Ya Gao, Le Wang, Quanlei Yu
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,654
OpenAlex ID: W4416674357