Association between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms in children: The mediating role of self-esteem

• Bullying victimization was associated with subsequent depressive symptoms. • Self-esteem mediated the relation between victimization and depressive symptoms. • Intervention programs could target bullying victimization and self-esteem. Bullying victimization is becoming an increasing problem among children. This longitudinal study examined the relation of bullying victimization (both traditional and cyberbullying victimization) to subsequent depressive symptoms and the possible mediating role of self-esteem among children. A total of 4043 Chinese elementary school children in Grades 3 and 4 comprised the sample. Assessments were conducted every six months on five occasions. Latent growth curve modeling was applied to examine the longitudinal relations among the variables. Results showed that (a) bullying victimization was positively and significantly associated with subsequent depressive symptoms; (b) self-esteem played an important mediating role in the relation between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms. The study only considered self-esteem as a mediator. The generalizability of the results should be made cautiously. The results highlight the relation between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms among children, suggesting that intervention programs target bullying victimization and self-esteem to reduce the likelihood of depressive symptoms among children.