Depressão como Consequente do Bullying em Crianças e Adolescentes: O Papel Moderador dos Valores Sociais

Abstract

Bullying, social values, and depression are interconnected in the literature. In light to this, the following research question arises: Do social values serve a protective function for children and adolescents involved in bullying episodes regarding the development of depression? In this

regard, three studies will be conducted to achieve the proposed objectives. Study 1 aimed to understand the relationship between bullying perpetration and depression in children and adolescents. To accomplish this, a scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA criteria. Analysis of the studies revealed that bullying perpetration and depression are associated in different ways: predictively and correlatively. Study 2 aimed to develop and validate the Global Bullying Scale - Perpetrator and Victim (GBS - PV). Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Item Response Theory (IRT), and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis were conducted using Factor, SPSS, and R software. The fit indices indicated a psychometrically sound measure (CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.04), and the instrument demonstrated measurement invariance across gender and school type. In Study 3, the objective was to examine the moderating role of social values (interactive and normative) in the relationship between bullying and depression in children and adolescents. Descriptive and moderation analyses (SPSS and PROCESS macro) were performed, revealing that interactive values (affection, social interaction, and social support) moderated the relationship between bullying perpetration and depression. The results indicate that interactive values attenuate the experience of depression in aggressors. It is concluded that the research findings present three important outcomes that contribute to the understanding of bullying: 1. The relationship between bullying perpetration and depression, indicating that these individuals require mental health care; 2. The development of a concise and comprehensive measure of bullying; 3. The understanding that bullying predicts depression and that actions based on social support can alleviate depressive symptoms in perpetrators.