Peer victimization in Korean male middle school students: The influence of parental bonding and mental health

Although the connection between parental bonding and adolescent peer victimization is widely accepted, little is known about the specific mechanism underlying this link. Adolescent mental health status, in terms of individual-level psychological functioning, can be an important factor mediating this parental bonding — peer victimization link. Among various mental health indicators, the current study examined the mediating roles of stress and depression in the relationship between perceived parental bonding and adolescent peer victimization. The subjects were 484 male adolescents attending middle schools in South Korea. Associations between both maternal and paternal parental bonding and peer victimization were mediated by both stress and depression in Korean male adolescents, confirming a dual-mediation model. Stress fully mediated the relationship between perceived parental bonding and depression, while depression partially mediated the relationship between stress and peer victimization. Implications for practice and policy were discussed.