Associations Among Bullying Victimization, Executive Functions, and Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms: A Random‐Intercept Cross‐Lagged Panel Model

INTRODUCTION: Bullying victimization increases the risk of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, while adolescents with more internalizing and externalizing symptoms are more frequently bullied. However, the bidirectional associations between bullying victimization and internalizing and externalizing symptoms and the underlying mechanisms remain underexplored in adolescents. The present study aimed to examine the bidirectional associations between bullying victimization and internalizing and externalizing symptoms among adolescents, and the longitudinal mediating role of executive functions in these associations, distinguishing between-person and within-person effects. METHODS: = 0.48) was recruited in November 2021 (T1), May 2023 (T2), and May 2024 (T3), respectively. The Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale, Executive Function Self-Assessment Questionnaire, and Achenbach Youth Self-Report-2001 were used to evaluate bullying victimization, executive functions, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms, respectively. RESULTS: After accounting for between-person effects, bullying victimization positively predicted internalizing and externalizing symptoms, but internalizing and externalizing symptoms didn't predict bullying victimization across time points at the within-person level. In addition, executive functions at T2 played a longitudinal mediating role in the associations between bullying victimization at T1 and internalizing and externalizing symptoms at T3. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that bullying victimization consistently increases the risk for problem behaviors during early adolescence, and impaired executive functions could serve as a cognitive pathway under these associations.