Study on the Protective Role of Self-Awareness in the Relationship between School Bullying and Adolescent Depressive Tendencies

In the process of adolescent development, school bullying poses a potential threat to mental health, and studies have shown that adolescents who experience bullying have significantly higher rates of depressive tendencies. Existing research has primarily focused on the direct impact of bullying on depression, with less attention given to the buffering role of individual psychological traits. As the psychological foundation for adolescents to understand and regulate themselves, self-awareness plays an important moderating role in the relationship between bullying stress and depressive tendencies. This study analyzes the pathways through which school bullying influences adolescent depressive tendencies, reveals the protective role of self-awareness in blocking negative attribution, regulating stress responses, and providing neuroprotection, and proposes strategies to enhance self-awareness from individual, family, school, and societal levels. It offers a new perspective for the prevention and intervention of adolescent depressive tendencies.