Exploring the association between bullying and depression symptoms among adolescents in Bangladesh: Findings from nationally representative survey
- 1Bangladesh Institute of Governance and Management (BIGM), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Abstract
Bullying victimization is an important public health concern that has been linked to adverse psychological outcomes among adolescents. The study used mental health well-being data collected in the most recent Bangladesh Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey (2019–2020) (BAHWS). A total of 9,116 adolescents aged 15–19 years with complete depression data were included in the analysis. A three-level linear mixed-effects model was employed to account for the hierarchical structure of the survey, with adolescents nested within primary sampling units and districts. Additional analyses examined gender and marital status interactions, subgroup differences, and the cumulative association between multiple forms of bullying and depressive symptoms using a composite bullying measure. The findings revealed that verbal bullying (β = 1.39, p < 0.001) and cyberbullying (β = 1.15, p = 0.012) were independently associated with higher depressive symptom scores. The association between physical bullying and depressive symptoms differed significantly by gender, whereas interactions of gender with verbal and cyberbullying were not statistically significant. Exploratory subgroup analyses showed variation in the magnitude of estimated associations across ever-married females, unmarried females, and unmarried males. A graded association was observed for cumulative bullying exposure: compared with adolescents reporting no bullying exposure, those exposed to on (β = 1.25), two (β = 2.61), and three (β = 4.99) bullying types had progressively higher depressive symptom scores (all p < 0.001). Adolescent Age, Current school or college attendance and higher household wealth were associated with lower depressive symptom scores. Bullying victimization, particularly verbal bullying, cyberbullying, and exposure to multiple forms of bullying, was associated with higher depressive symptoms among Bangladeshi adolescents. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive bullying prevention strategies and accessible psychosocial support services, with particular attention to adolescents experiencing multiple forms of bullying and other vulnerable groups.
Related
- Antidepressant medication use and objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behaviors in adults: A cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative sample of Canadian adults
- Awareness of sexually transmitted infections among women of reproductive age in Indonesia: a nationally representative cross-sectional study.
- Mental health, coping and related risk factors during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic in children: Nationally representative, multi-wave, cross-sectional results from 12 countries from the global COH-FIT study
- Prevalence of educational needs and factors associated with educational severity among Rohingya refugee children in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: A representative cross-sectional household survey
- A Re‐Appraisal of Three Network Meta‐Analyses to Explain the Discrepancy in Findings for the Efficacy of Fluoxetine for the Treatment of Depression in Children and Adolescents
BibTeX
@article{amin2026exploring,
title = {{Exploring the association between bullying and depression symptoms among adolescents in Bangladesh: Findings from nationally representative survey}},
author = {Ruhul Amin and A S M Rafad Asgar},
journal = {PLOS Mental Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pmen.0000722},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000722},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Exploring the association between bullying and depression symptoms among adolescents in Bangladesh: Findings from nationally representative survey
AU - Ruhul Amin
AU - A S M Rafad Asgar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - PLOS Mental Health
DO - 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000722
UR - https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000722
AB - Bullying victimization is an important public health concern that has been linked to adverse psychological outcomes among adolescents. The study used mental health well-being data collected in the most recent Bangladesh Adolescent Health and Wellbeing Survey (2019–2020) (BAHWS). A total of 9,116 adolescents aged 15–19 years with complete depression data were included in the analysis. A three-level linear mixed-effects model was employed to account for the hierarchical structure of the survey, with adolescents nested within primary sampling units and districts. Additional analyses examined gender and marital status interactions, subgroup differences, and the cumulative association between multiple forms of bullying and depressive symptoms using a composite bullying measure. The findings revealed that verbal bullying (β = 1.39, p < 0.001) and cyberbullying (β = 1.15, p = 0.012) were independently associated with higher depressive symptom scores. The association between physical bullying and depressive symptoms differed significantly by gender, whereas interactions of gender with verbal and cyberbullying were not statistically significant. Exploratory subgroup analyses showed variation in the magnitude of estimated associations across ever-married females, unmarried females, and unmarried males. A graded association was observed for cumulative bullying exposure: compared with adolescents reporting no bullying exposure, those exposed to on (β = 1.25), two (β = 2.61), and three (β = 4.99) bullying types had progressively higher depressive symptom scores (all p < 0.001). Adolescent Age, Current school or college attendance and higher household wealth were associated with lower depressive symptom scores. Bullying victimization, particularly verbal bullying, cyberbullying, and exposure to multiple forms of bullying, was associated with higher depressive symptoms among Bangladeshi adolescents. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive bullying prevention strategies and accessible psychosocial support services, with particular attention to adolescents experiencing multiple forms of bullying and other vulnerable groups.
SN - 2837-8156
ER -