The Influence of Bullying Behavior on Depression in Middle School Students: A Moderated Mediating Effect

Abstract

This research aims to explore the relationship between bullying and depression in middle school students, and to investigate the role of loneliness and self-esteem. A cluster sampling method was used to sample 554 students from a middle school in China, and OBVQ, CES-D-10, UCLA-6, and SES were used to measure bullying, depression, loneliness, and self-esteem. The results found that bullying behavior can significantly positively predict students’ depression, and loneliness is an intermediary variable in this path; at the same time, when loneliness transforms into depression, it is regulated by the self-esteem level of students, and there is a moderated mediating effect.