The effects of student bullying on non-suicidal self-injurious behavior in rural adolescents: the chain-mediated effects of alexithymia and ruminate thinking

Bullying among students is a significant risk factor for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), which can adversely impact the physical and mental health development of individuals. To explore the mechanisms by which student bullying affects adolescent non-suicidal self-injury, 701 adolescents were selected as participants. The assessment tools included the Bullying Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Ruminative Responses Scale, and Adolescents Non-suicidal Self-injury Assessment Questionnaire, which were used to measure the experiences of bullying, levels of alexithymia, rumination tendencies, and the severity of non-suicidal self-injury, respectively. This study aimed to examine whether there is a chain mediation effect of alexithymia and rumination in the relationship between student bullying and non-suicidal self-injury. The results indicated that: (1) Student bullying has a significant positive impact on adolescent non-suicidal self-injury (63.62%) and indirectly influences it through alexithymia and rumination (12.69%); (2) There are gender differences in the chain mediation effect between student bullying and non-suicidal self-injury, with the chain mediation effect of rumination and alexithymia being significantly greater in females (0.12) compared to males (0.06). This study not only provides a cognitive-emotional perspective and a gender difference perspective on the effects of bullying on adolescent non-suicidal self-injury but also focuses on rural adolescents, who often face more physical and mental health issues. Therefore, the conclusions enrich the understanding of the complex mechanisms between student bullying and non-suicidal self-injury, offering new theoretical guidance for preventing bullying and intervening with victims of bullying.