Early Bullying’s Long Shadow: How Victimization in Childhood and Adolescence is Associated with University Students’ Mental Health and Loneliness

Bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence is widely acknowledged for its detrimental effects on mental health and loneliness in young adulthood. However, the influence of onset time when bullying happens (in primary and/or secondary school) and of distinct forms of bullying remain underexplored. The study aims to explore the associations between seven forms of victimization ( being teased or called nasty names; rumor spreading; physical harm; threat; property damage ; robbery; social exclusion ) during university students’ primary and secondary school years and their current mental health and loneliness in China. A total of 684 university students (mean age = 19.05, SD = 1.56) completed Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21), UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Retrospective Bullying Questionnaire, which involves recollection of bullying victimization during primary and secondary school years. Stable victim (those who experienced bullying victimization during both primary and secondary school years) was most strongly associated with current higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness. Different forms of bullying victimization in primary and secondary school years were independently associated with mental health and loneliness. Specifically, rumor spreading in secondary school strongly predicted depression, anxiety, and stress, while social exclusion in primary school was closely linked to depression, anxiety, and loneliness. These findings underscore the long-term psychological impact of various forms of bullying victimization experienced in primary and secondary school years and highlight the importance of targeted interventions that address specific types of bullying in primary and secondary school years to mitigate their enduring effects on mental health in young adulthood.