The Association Between Bullying Victimization and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Among Adolescents: A Longitudinal Mediation Role of Self-Control

Objective: This study aims to examine the longitudinal bidirectional relationship between bullying victimization and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents, and to further investigate the mediating role of self-control in this association. Methods: A three-wave longitudinal design was employed over a one-year period, involving 1,109 seventh-grade students (mean age ≈ 12.7 years) from five public middle schools in Hunan Province, China. Assessments were conducted in September 2023 (T1), March 2024 (T2), and September 2024 (T3), using the Bullying Victimization Scale, the Self-Control Scale (SCS), and the Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Questionnaire (ANSAQ). Cross-lagged panel modeling (CLPM) was applied to explore the reciprocal associations among bullying victimization, NSSI, and self-control. Results: Bullying victimization significantly predicted NSSI from T1 to T2 and from T2 to T3. NSSI also positively predicted bullying victimization, but only from T1 to T2. Further analyses revealed that self-control fully mediated the bidirectional association between bullying victimization and NSSI across all time points. Conclusion: This study highlights the dynamic reciprocal relationship between bullying victimization and NSSI in adolescents, and underscores the critical mediating role of self-control. Enhancing adolescents’ self-control may help break the vicious cycle between victimization and self-injury, thereby promoting their mental health.