Peer pressure and adolescents’ bullying perpetration: Anger rumination as a mediator and frustrated interpersonal needs as a moderator

School bullying, a pervasive and pressing global issue, has garnered significant research attention. Based on the stress coping model, the current study attempted to test whether peer pressure was significantly associated with adolescents’ bullying perpetration and whether anger rumination mediated this association, and frustrated interpersonal needs moderated this mediation process. The sample consisted of 2286 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 13.46, SD = 0.93) who completed a series of questionnaires assessing peer pressure, bullying perpetration, anger rumination, and frustrated interpersonal needs. It was demonstrated that adolescents who experienced peer pressure had a higher propensity to exhibit bullying perpetration, which was mediated by anger rumination. Frustrated interpersonal needs moderated the association between peer pressure and anger rumination, as well as the relation between peer pressure and bullying perpetration. Notably, adolescents with higher levels of frustrated interpersonal needs exhibited higher levels of anger rumination and showed an increased tendency towards bullying perpetration when confronted with peer pressure, compared with adolescents with lower levels of frustrated interpersonal needs. The current study enhances understanding of the internal mechanisms underlying adolescents’ peer pressure and bullying perpetration, providing a foundation for the development of specific interventions.