Exploring Coping Strategies for School Bullying Among Boarding and Non-Boarding Adolescents: A Mixed-Methods Study

Background and Purpose: As the prevalence of boarding students rises in China, it is crucial to understand how boarding impacts their ability to cope with school-related stress, specifically bullying. This study investigates how boarding status influences bullying coping strategies and outcomes using a mixed-methods approach, with the following objectives: (1) to assess the effects of boarding status on coping outcomes related to bullying, and (2) to examine how boarding status affects the choice of coping strategies in response to bullying.

Methods: Utilizing a mixed-methods design, this study conducted a short-term longitudinal survey with 2927 middle school students from Hebei province, China, selected through probability proportional to size sampling. Of these, 2452 students who experienced bullying in the last six months were included (average age 13.22 years, SD=1.59, range 10-17). The study analyzed the association between boarding status, coping strategies, and outcomes using structural equation modeling. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 35 bullied adolescents (average age 14.11 years, SD=1.25), including 19 boarders and 16 non-boarders, to conduct comparative thematic analysis.

Results: Quantitative analysis revealed a negative association between boarding status and subsequent bullying victimization (b= -0.41, p < 0.05). Mediation analysis indicated that this relationship could be explained by the support received from family members (b = -0.028, 95%CI [-0.065, -0.003]) and peers (b = -0.030, 95%CI [-0.065, -0.007]). Thematic analysis of interview data highlighted differences in coping strategies, including seeking social support, self-soothing, and cognitive distancing, between boarding and non-boarding victims.

Conclusions and Implications: This study underscores the significant role of boarding status in shaping the social support network and coping mechanisms in response to bullying among adolescents. Boarding students receive more familial and peer support, which correlates with lower rates of repeated victimization. The results emphasize the need for targeted interventions that enhance effective coping strategies among both boarding and non-boarding students to address school bullying more effectively.