Bullying Victimization and School Refusal: An Examination of Gender Differences and Intervening Mechanisms

Prior research has demonstrated that bullying victimization is associated with numerous academic and behavioral consequences, including an increased likelihood of skipping school. However, the extent to which depressive symptoms and suicidality might intervene in the relationship between bullying and school refusal has received insufficient attention, and potential differences between females and males in these pathways remain underexplored. The current study analyzes data from the 2024 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey ( N = 29,748), which was administered to a statewide sample of public middle and high school students. The findings reveal that the influence of more frequent physical, verbal, and cyber bullying victimization on school refusal is partially indirect through internalizing symptoms. Especially noteworthy direct and indirect effects emerge among girls.