School bullying and social adaptation in Chinese adolescents: A multiple mediation model of self-disclosure and school connectedness

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundWhen it comes to the occurrence place of bullying behavior, school can never be ignored because adolescents spend a lot of time in school. School bullying has become a significant social issue among young generations, which influences their healthy growth. However, our understanding of the effects of school bullying is still limited. So, the present study aims to investigate how school bullying affects adolescent social adaptation.MethodsA sample of 434 Chinese adolescents (56.9% females; Mage=13.07 years, SD=0.93) participated in the survey. Structural equation modeling was adopted to assess the hypothesized model.ResultsThe results indicated that school bullying had a direct effect on negative social adaptation rather than positive social adaptation. Moreover, self-disclosure and school connectedness mediated the relationship between school bullying and social adaptation, separately and sequentially.ConclusionsThe present study combines self-disclosure and school connectedness into a multiple mediation model, highlighting the importance of individual and environmental factors in the effects of school bullying on adolescents’ social adaptation. Practically, the current findings may provide some guidance for the prevention and intervention of school bullying and the promotion of social adaptation in adolescents.