Rural-to-Urban Migration, Strain, and Bullying Perpetration: The Mediating Role of Negative Emotions, Attitude Toward Bullying, and Attachment to School

Abstract

Based on an integrated general strain theory, this study involved testing negative emotions (i.e., anxiety and depression), a social learning variable (i.e., attitude toward bullying), and a social control variable (i.e., attachment to school) as possible mediators of the strain–bullying relationship. A group comparison was also conducted to examine possible differences between migrant and non-migrant children. Data used in the study were derived from a questionnaire survey with a school-based multistage random sample of 1,666 children in Grades 4 to 9 in Nanjing and Guangzhou, China. Structural equation modeling and group comparison were performed with AMOS 25.0 to test the hypothesized model. The findings indicated that attitude toward bullying and attachment to school but not negative emotions mediated the strain–bullying relationship. The results also revealed that the mediation model was applicable to both migrant and non-migrant children, albeit with significant differences in certain paths within the model. The study’s framework bridged the integrated general strain theory and its typical emphasis on crime or delinquency with the pervasive behavior of school bullying in the context of Chinese rural-to-urban migration. Implications for theory and practice were discussed.

The impact of strain, constraints, and morality on different cyberbullying roles: A partial test of Agnew’s general strain theory

“…We inferred that higher levels of strain directly lead to a desire for cyberbullying behavior, and cyberbullying victims were at increased risk of involving in delinquency. These align with GST and previous studies, and our results extend the existing theory on this relationship by examining both youth and adults samples, as previous studies have largely discussed this issue among adolescent samples, including a study did in China with minors ( Cui and To, 2021 ). In particular, we observed that the strain had a greater influence on cyberbullying victims.…”

“…For cyberbullying research, studies have provided a standard view, stating that engagement in cyberbullying was the result of physical, emotional, or psychological strain ( Jang et al, 2014 ; Lianos and McGrath, 2018 ), and participation in cyberbullying through strain-based factors (e.g., receiving bad grades, being treated unfairly by someone, victimization, and relationship issues) was a response to strain ( Patchin and Hinduja, 2011 ). Specifically, Cui and To (2021) used a school-based multistage random sample of 1,666 children in Grades 4 to 9 in China (Nanjing and Guangzhou), indicating that the experience of cyberbullying victimization, which can be a deviant motivation, has frequently been recognized as a reason of strain which can predict cyberbullying perpetration. Consequently, this study mainly focuses on how do the negative emotion and the low self-control affect cyberbullying between different roles in the Chinese context.…”

Predicting the severity of peer victimization and bullying perpetration among youth with interpersonal problems: A 6‐month prospective study

“…Though we did not find an association between the severity of peer victimization and subsequent bullying perpetration, we did find that depression and behavioral challenges were related to bullying perpetration severity. A recent study grounded in the general strain theory found that youth experiencing higher strain related to struggling academically and socially were more likely to engage in bullying perpetration (Cui & To, 2020). Notably, this relationship was mediated by attitudes towards bullying.…”

Strain, depression, and deviant behavior among left-behind and non-left-behind adolescents in China

“…Chen, 2017; Gao et al, 2016; Wang et al, 2020) and migrant children in specific (e.g. Cui and To, 2021; Lo et al, 2018). Nevertheless, except for one study (Zhen et al, 2020), previous research has not specifically tested the applicability of GST on LBC who presumptively suffer higher levels of strain and emotional hardship due to separation from parents.…”