The effects of peer bullying and poverty on suicidality in Chinese left behind adolescents: The mediating role of psychotic‐like experiences

Abstract

Aim: This study investigated the influence of childhood adversity, such as peer bullying and socioeconomic status, on the suicidal behaviour of left-behind Chinese adolescents to determine whether psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) mediated the associations between these childhood adversities and suicidality; suicidal ideation (serious thoughts about taking one's own life), suicide plans, and suicide attempts.Methods: A representative group of rural adolescents (n = 3346) was recruited from 16 rural high schools in China. Suicidality was assessed using the suicide module from the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Kid. Participants also completed questionnaires on bullying, socioeconomic status, left-behind characteristics, and PLEs. Structural equation modelling was then employed to explore the relationships between these variables.Results: Peer bullying, poverty, and left-behind status were all found to significantly increase adolescent suicide risk, the relationships between which were mediated by PLEs. Peer bullying was found to play the most significant role in the PLEs and suicidality, with the risk of suicide increasing with the length of time a child had been left behind. Conclusion:Adverse life events can lead to a high risk of PLEs, which in turn can increase the risk of suicide. These results could assist in identifying individuals at risk of suicidality and the design of appropriate interventions. The results also highlighted the role PLEs play in suicidality and highlighted the need for further research in this area.

Association of sociodemographic, proximal, and distal clinical factors with current suicidal ideation: Findings from a nonclinical sample of young adults

“…Similar to our results, it has been shown that PLEs are predictive of suicidal thoughts, even when controlling for sociodemographic variables and traumatic experiences [ 71 ]. Additionally, a history of childhood adversities, such as peer bullying, poverty, and left-behind status, has been found to increase suicide risk through the mediating effect of PLEs [ 72 ]. In line with our findings, depressive symptomatology has been associated with a history of CT and suicidality [ 73 ], and might mediate the relationship between a history of CT and suicidal risk [ 66 , 74 ].…”

Socioeconomic status impact Chinese youth’s internalizing problems: The risk role of psychological insecurity and cognitive fusion

“…One low group that has been the focus of research are families in rural areas; low SES parents often leave their children with relatives to nd work in more urban areas (Liu et al, 2016). In this context, low SES has been shown to be directly correlated with adolescents' depression and suicidal ideation (Li et al, 2022). However, our research took place in a urban areas, although the family's SES was low, the adolescents were unlikely to experience the long term absence of parents, and parents' availability and companionship itself is a kind of protection (Butler, 2014).…”

What Matters on Rural Left-Behind Children’s Problem Behavior: Family Socioeconomic Status or Perceived Discrimination

“…Caregivers' low SES is significantly associated with adolescents' emotional and conduct problems [22]. Low family SES has also been found to be associated with non-suicidal self-injury behaviors as well as the risk of suicide mediated by increased peer bullying among left-behind children [23,24].…”