The longitudinal relationship between bullying victimization and internalizing problems among early adolescents: A cross-lagged panel network analysis

The relationship between early adolescents’ bullying victimization and mental health (anxiety, depression) has long been a focus of researchers. Numerous studies have shown that bullying victimization is closely associated with internalizing problems, but the specifics and directionality of these associations remain uncertain. This study employs network analysis methods to explore the relationships between bullying victimization and internalizing problems. Using cluster sampling, two measurements were conducted on 1013 first-year junior high school students in Shandong Province. Data were collected using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale-Student, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. The results showed that anxiety was the strongest bridging node in the contemporaneous network, connecting bullying victimization and depressive symptoms, with verbal bullying showing the closest association with anxiety. Depressive mood was the core node of the depressive symptom cluster, significantly associated with verbal bullying, relational bullying, and anxiety. Longitudinal analysis showed that anxiety and depressive mood positively predicted later verbal and relational bullying, while physical bullying and verbal bullying significantly exacerbated later interpersonal difficulties and depressive mood. The study provides a target for precise interventions aimed at adolescent mental health, namely prioritizing early intervention for verbal bullying, the management of anxiety, and the regulation of depressive mood.