A study on sleep quality under the shadow of school bullying: The interwoven effects of depressed mood, low self-esteem, and negative parenting practices

Objective: The aim of this study was to reveal the relationship between school bullying and sleep quality in adolescents. It proposes a theoretical model where depressed mood, low self-esteem, and negative parenting practices serve as mediating variables, providing new directions and measures for preventing and treating school bullying and sleep disorders. Methods: In this study, a total of 4483 middle school students from Anhui Province in China were selected anonymously to participate in a questionnaire survey. The data analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 software. PROCESS model 6 was employed to investigate the mediating role of depressed mood, low self-esteem, and negative parenting styles in the association between school bullying and sleep disorders. Results: The study results generally lend support to the hypothesis that bullying exerts an influence on sleep disorders through the mediating pathways of depressed mood, low self-esteem, and negative parenting styles. The aforementioned findings may provide an explanation for the correlation between school bullying and sleep disorders, thus offering implications for intervention strategies targeting sleep disorders. Conclusion: This study innovatively integrates the impact of school bullying on adolescent sleep disorders. Depressed mood, low self-esteem, and negative parenting practices have independent and persistent mediating effects on the relationship between school bullying and sleep disorders. The influence pathway of school bullying on sleep disorders offers a novel direction for relevant governmental agencies and educational institutions to develop mental health measures and establish robust mechanisms for regulating emotions.