Association of bullying victimization with suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among school students: A school-based study in Zhejiang Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Evidence of associations between type-specific bullying victimization and suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among adolescents is scant. This study examined these associations among middle and high school students in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 27,030 students with mean age of 15.7 ± 1.7 years, including 13,946 boys and 13,084 girls, was carried out between April and June 2022. RESULTS: The prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt was 19.7 % and 2.9 %, respectively. 30.0 % (95%CI: 28.8-31.1) of students reported being bullied (i.e., bullying victimization) in the past 30 days, and the corresponding figs. (95%CI) for verbal bullying, relational bullying, property-related bullying, physical bullying, and cyberbullying were 11.0 % (10.4-11.7), 2.8 % (2.5-3.0), 1.9 % (1.7-2.2), and 5.7 % (5.3-6.0), respectively. After adjustment for socio-demographic status, lifestyle factors, academic performance, self-reported health and mental health, compared to those who reported not being bullied in the past 30 days, the odds ratios (95%CI) for suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among students who reported being bullied were 1.75 (1.60-1.90) and 2.01 (1.63-2.52), respectively. The corresponding odds ratios (95%CI) for verbal bullying were 1.77 (1.61-1.93) and 2.09 (1.67-2.61), respectively, for relational bullying were 1.77 (1.57-2.00) and 2.31 (1.79-2.98), respectively, for property-related bullying were 1.88 (1.48-2.37) and 2.44 (1.60-3.70), respectively, for physical bullying were 1.79 (1.30-2.47) and 2.86 (1.67-4.90), respectively, and for cyberbullying were 2.02 (1.71-2.39) and 2.83 (2.08-3.84), respectively. CONCLUSION: All types of bullying victimization are strongly associated with both suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among middle and high school students.