Bullying victimization and suicidal ideation among adolescents: The mediating role of psychological suzhi and the moderating role of perceived school climate

This study explores the association between bullying victimization and suicidal ideation and determines the mediating role of psychological suzhi and the moderating role of perceived school climate. 855 (N(boy) = 417, N(girl) = 438; M(age)=13.18, SD = .78) students in this study from grade 7 to grade 9 completed questionnaires of the mentioned study variables. The results indicated that bullying victimization positively predicted adolescents’ suicidal ideation. Psychological suzhi partially mediated the effect of bullying victimization on suicidal ideation. However, for adolescents with higher levels of perceived school climate, bullying victimization was correlated more strongly with suicidal ideation and weaker with psychological suzhi. Results meant that the more frequent and more severe the bullying, the higher the likelihood of suicidal ideation among adolescents. Psychological suzhi may act as a potential mechanism through which bullying victimization leads to suicidal ideation, nevertheless, perceived school climate not only buffered bullying victimization’s effects on suicidal ideation, but also protected psychological suzhi from the negative influence of bullying.