Open Access

ARTICLE

The Relationship between Peer Victimization and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Behavior among Middle School Students: The Mediating Role of Future Orientation and Social Withdrawal

Biao Li^1,#, Xiao Hu^2,#, Pengzhan Wei³, Yunbin Deng^4,*

1 School of Education, Guangxi Science & Technology Normal University, Laibin, 546199, China
2 Faculty of Education, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, 541004, China
3 School of Education Science, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, 530299, China
4 School of Physics and Electronic Information, Guangxi Minzu University, Nanning, 530006, China

* Corresponding Author: Yunbin Deng. Email:
# Biao Li and Xiao Hu contributed equally to this work

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Evidence-based Approaches to Managing Stress, Depression, Anxiety, and Suicide)

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2026, 28(2), 10 https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2026.073489

Received 19 September 2025; Accepted 29 December 2025; Issue published 27 February 2026

Abstract

Objectives: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) represents a prominent and escalating concern within mental health, associated with considerable psychological and physical dangers. Peer victimization is identified as a significant predictor of NSSI behavior. Although prior research has explored the association between peer victimization and NSSI, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain insufficiently understood. Utilizing social information processing theory frameworks, the present study seeks to examine the sequential mediating roles of a cognitive factor, future orientation, and a behavioral factor, social withdrawal, in middle school students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered in China, involving 528 participants (261 females and 267 males; Mean_age = 13.71, standard deviation [SD] = 0.93). Participants completed self-report measures assessing peer victimization via the Delaware Bullying Victimization Scale-Student Version, NSSI via the Adolescents Self-Harm Scale, future orientation via the Adolescent Future Orientation Questionnaire, and social withdrawal via the Social Withdrawal Questionnaire. Results: Findings indicated a significant positive correlation between peer victimization and NSSI (r = 0.30, p < 0.01). Additionally, future orientation and social withdrawal functioned as serial mediators, with an indirect effect of 0.01 (95% CI: [0.01, 0.02]), representing 2.70% of the total effect (β = 0.37, 95% CI: [0.25, 0.47]). Conclusions: The findings endorse a theoretical framework in which negative future outlook and social withdrawal are sequentially linked within the relationship between peer victimization and NSSI. Although the serial indirect effect observed is modest, it delineates a distinct associative pattern that characterizes adolescents subjected to victimization. These results carry practical significance for school-based intervention programs, indicating that targeting future perspectives and social connections may enhance strategies for preventing NSSI.

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