Bullying/Victimization Experiences, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Mental Resilience and Self-Compassion in Adolescent Students

Abstract The present study was designed to investigate the association between post-traumatic stress, mental resilience and self-compassion in adolescents involved in bullying incidents at school. It also examined whether there are differences between: a) boys and girls, and b) victims, bullies, bully/victims, observers and students non-involved in bullying, in terms of levels of post-traumatic stress, resilience and self-compassion. A total of 658 students, 277 boys (42%) and 381 girls (58%), attending the first grade of 17 different high schools in Thessaly, Greece, participated in the study by completing a series of self-report questionnaires. The results indicated higher PTSD symptom scores for girls compared to boys, whereas boys reported higher total self-compassion (primarily reflecting lower self-judgment). Moreover, victims and bully/victims showed higher levels of PTSD compared to bullies, observers, and students non-involved in bullying. Observers showed higher levels of mental resilience compared to victims and bully/victims. Observer and non-involved students showed higher levels of self-compassion compared to victims and bully/victims. Finally, mental resilience was positively correlated to self-compassion, and total PTSD symptoms were negatively correlated to mental resilience and self-compassion. These findings may significantly contribute toward designing interventions for strengthening mental resilience and cultivating self-compassion to address bullying.