Cyberbullying Victimization on Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Among College Students: A Moderated Mediation Model

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the impact of cyberbullying on non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among college students, and to explore the roles of ambivalence over emotional expression, psychological resilience, and positive illusion in this relationship. The goal was to identify potential pathways through which cyberbullying influences NSSI, to provide theoretical support for psychological intervention in college students. Patients and Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design. A total of 683 college students from Yunnan Province, China were surveyed using the Cyberbullying Questionnaire, Ambivalence Over Emotional Expression Questionnaire, Conner Davidson Resilience Scale, Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Assessment Questionnaire, and the College Students' Positive Illusion Questionnaire. Results: (1) Positive illusion, cyberbullying victimization, ambivalence over emotional expression, and NSSI were positively correlated with each other, while psychological resilience was negatively correlated with all these variables. (2) Cyberbullying victimization directly predicted NSSI. (3) Cyberbullying victimization indirectly predicted NSSI through the mediating effects of ambivalence over emotional expression and psychological resilience, both separately and sequentially as a chain mediator. (4) Positive illusion moderated the effect of cyberbullying victimization on NSSI: individuals with higher levels of positive illusion showed a more pronounced increase in NSSI as cyberbullying victimization increased. Conclusion: The pathway from cyberbullying victimization to non-suicidal self-injury is mediated by ambivalence over emotional expression and psychological resilience, while positive illusion exacerbates this process. These findings hold significant implications for the development of prevention and intervention strategies targeting non-suicidal self-injury among college students.