Zhuo-Yan Zhang, Rong Xv, Yu-Shuang Chen, Ling-Li Yue, Hai-Shan Huang
Heterogeneous resource-victimization profiles exist among adolescents. Verbal victimization-despite its otherwise moderate resources-was associated with the highest adjusted odds of self-injury, challenging conventional victimization hierarchies. Causal inferences are precluded by the cross-sectional design.
UNLABELLED: This cross-sectional study aimed to identify distinct subgroups of Chinese adolescents based on resilience, peer victimization, and friendship quality, as well as to describe self-injury prevalence across subgroups.
METHODS: A survey of 33,821 middle school students (mean age 14.3 years; 49.5% male) assessed resilience (RSCA), peer victimization (MPVS), friendship quality (FQQ), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and psychological pain (TDPPS). Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified subgroups using 11 indicators; logistic regression examined self-injury associations.
RESULTS: Four profiles emerged: High Resource-Low Victimization (85.3%), Moderate Resource-Moderate Victimization (7.6%), Moderate Resource-Polyvictimization (2.1%), and Moderate Resource-Verbal Victimization (5.0%). Self-injury prevalence differed significantly across groups (18.1%, 47.5%, 56.3%, and 44.8%; p < 0.001). The Verbal Victimization group had the highest adjusted odds of self-injury (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.31-1.68), followed by Moderate Victimization (OR = 1.38) and Polyvictimization (OR = 1.21). Psychological pain was the strongest correlate (OR = 2.41, 95% CI: 2.30-2.52).
CONCLUSION: Heterogeneous resource-victimization profiles exist among adolescents. Verbal victimization-despite its otherwise moderate resources-was associated with the highest adjusted odds of self-injury, challenging conventional victimization hierarchies. Causal inferences are precluded by the cross-sectional design.