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Bullying and Suicide Ideation: Testing the Buffering Hypothesis of Social Support in a Sub-Saharan African Sample

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Abstract

Substantial evidence indicates that adolescents and young adults have a disproportionately high incidence of most forms of violence, including suicide. Suicidality often includes suicidal ideation. The present study examined the relationship between bullying and suicidal ideation, and further tested whether social support moderates the association between the dimensions of bullying (verbal bullying, physical bullying, and bullying victimization) and suicidal ideation among adolescent secondary school students. A cross-sectional design was adopted for the study. Participants were 394 students (249 boys, 145 girls) drawn from two secondary schools in Nsukka semi-urban area, in southeast Nigeria. Participants completed the Illinois Bully Scale, the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Hayes’ regression-based PROCESS macro was used to analyze the data. Verbal bullying, physical bullying, and victimization were independently positively associated with suicidal ideation. Social support was not independently significantly associated with suicidal ideation, but it moderated the relationship between victimization and suicidal ideation. The positive relationship between victimization and suicidal ideation was strongest for adolescents who had low social support, compared to those who had moderate or high social support. This finding is consistent with the buffering hypothesis of social support, suggesting that supportive relationships for victims can mitigate suicidal ideation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to the administrators, staff and students of the schools where the study was conducted. We thank the Head, Department of Psychology in UNN for the institutional assistance that enabled us carry out this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, 41000, Nigeria

    John E. Eze, JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji, Peace Chiamaka Ettu & Steven Kator Iorfa

  2. Department of Psychology, Cleveland State University, 1836 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44115, USA

    JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji

  3. Department of Psychology, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria

    Endurance Avah Zacchaeus

  4. Department of Psychology, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria

    Sampson Kelechi Nwonyi

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  1. John E. Eze
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Correspondence to JohnBosco Chika Chukwuorji.

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Eze, J.E., Chukwuorji, J.C., Ettu, P.C. et al. Bullying and Suicide Ideation: Testing the Buffering Hypothesis of Social Support in a Sub-Saharan African Sample. Journ Child Adol Trauma 14, 19–27 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-019-00294-w

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