The relationship between bullying victimization experience and post-traumatic stress symptoms in college students: the mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and the moderating role of hope

The findings indicate that bullying victimization experience is a risk factor for PTSSs, and that maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies mediated the relationship between bullying victimization and PTSSs. Hope serves as a protective factor, the protective role of hope proved to prevent PTSSs in college students who have been victims of bullying; however, it was also be associated with a stronger association between bullying victimization and the use of these maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies. Intervention programs that reduce reliance on maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and cultiviate hope could assist in mitigating the impact of bullying victimization on PTSSs.