The roles of gratitude and mindfulness between cyberbullying perpetration and depression among children in rural China: A moderated mediation model

Previous literature suggests that gratitude and mindfulness-based intervention could effectively abate stressful life events, while the associations with cyberbullying perpetration have not been investigated. Little is known about the mechanisms of this association, especially for children who lack sufficient parental protection. The current study aimed to examine the roles of mindfulness and gratitude in the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and depression among children and adolescents. This study employed data from a school-based survey conducted in 2018, in which 1298 students aged 9-16 years were randomly selected from three elementary and middle schools in China. The moderated mediation effects of gratitude and mindfulness on the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and depression were examined through PROCESS model. Results showed that mindfulness mediated the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and depression, while gratitude moderated and weakened the relationship. The findings may offer insights into the awareness and intervention programs regarding positive psychological mechanisms to reduce cyberbullying perpetration among children and adolescents in China.