Bullying Victimization and Digital Self-Harm: The Moderating Role of Parental Attachment

Research links adolescent bullying victimization to a range of negative individual outcomes. Recent work suggests that bullying victimization is also associated with a related though somewhat distinct aspect of self-harm termed “digital self-harm,” which is described as the anonymous online posting of hurtful content about oneself. Despite this work, scholars do not yet know whether the relationship between bullying victimization and digital self-harm is conditioned by other variables. Using data from the Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, we found that bullying victimization increased the likelihood of engaging in digital self-harm and that this relationship decreased as parental attachment increased.