OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the longitudinal interplay between early adolescent bullying victimization and suicidal ideation, and to analyze the mediating role of self-efficacy in their dynamic relationship. METHODS: A cluster sampling method was employed to select 1,023 seventh-grade students from a middle school in an urban district of Hunan Province between March and December 2023. Three waves of data collection were conducted using questionnaires that included scales for adolescent bullying victimization, suicidal ideation (PANSI), and general self-efficacy (GSES). The cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) was utilized to explore the reciprocal relationships between early bullying victimization, suicidal ideation, and self-efficacy. RESULTS: Early adolescent bullying victimization was found to both directly and indirectly predict suicidal ideation through its impact on self-efficacy. Conversely, suicidal ideation did not directly predict the level of bullying victimization but was able to indirectly predict it through its effect on self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: The bullying victimization in early adolescents can directly predict the level of suicidal ideation and can also indirectly influence suicidal ideation by affecting self-efficacy; Suicidal ideation does not directly predict the level of bullying victimization; rather, it can indirectly predict bullying victimization through its impact on self-efficacy.
