Externalizing Problems and Mental Health Symptoms Mediate the Relationship Between Bullying Victimization and Addictive
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Externalizing Problems and Mental Health Symptoms Mediate the Relationship Between Bullying Victimization and Addictive Behaviors Jérémie Richard 1 & Aris Grande-Gosende 2 & Émilie Fletcher 1 & Caroline E. Temcheff 1 & William Ivoska 3 & Jeffrey L. Derevensky 1 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019
Abstract Victims of bullying are more likely to engage in addictive behaviors and experience mental health problems. However, the pathway by which bullying victimization and mental health problems predict engagement in multiple addictive behaviors remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to compare two mediation models in their prediction of engagement in multiple addictive behaviors. Survey responses were collected from 6641 high-school students aged 12 to 19. Measures include frequency of bullying victimization, past month use of alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes, past year gambling, and the presence of anxiety, depression, and externalizing problems. Results indicate that the model with mental health symptoms and externalizing problems as mediators provided the better prediction of engagement in multiple addictive behaviors. Overall, the comparison of these mediation models clarifies the relationship between bullying victimization and addictive behaviors and the role of mental health symptoms and externalizing problems in this relationship. Keywords Addictive behaviors . Bullying victimization . Externalizing problems . Mediation models . Mental health symptoms Gambling and substance use behaviors are frequently reported by adolescents in North America. Recent reports indicate that over 30% of adolescents in the USA have used at least one illicit substance over the past year (Johnston et al. 2017) and 37.5 to 74.4% have gambled within the same time span (Calado et al. 2017). Adolescent substance use and gambling are * Jérémie Richard [email protected]
1
International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, 3724 McTavish Street (Rm 205), Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2, Canada
2
Addictive Behavior Research Group, Faculty of Psychology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
3
Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
significant public health concerns that are associated with a range of mental and physical health consequences (Feinstein et al. 2012). Furthermore, problem behaviors such as delinquency, gambling, and substance use are interrelated behaviors that frequently co-occur (Jessor 2017; Peters et al. 2015; Romer 2003), with adolescents using one substance (e.g., marijuana) being more likely to use another substance (e.g., alcohol) (Moss et al. 2014; Tomczyk et al. 2016). Additionally, research indicates that using multiple substances is associated with even higher risks and more severe consequences than single substance use (Kelly et al. 2015a; Kokkevi et al. 2014). Due to the associated consequences an
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