Associations of sleep problems with non-physical bullying perpetration and victimization among adolescents: A cross-lagged panel study

Objective: The current study attempted to explore the possible temporal direction of the relationship between sleep problems and non-physical bullying perpetration as well as non-physical bullying victimiza-tion among adolescents.Design: The study used a longitudinal panel survey design with a 6-month interval.Setting: A cluster random sampling method was conducted to recruit students from junior high schools in Northern Taiwan.Participants: Eight hundred twenty-two students (46.6% were boys) completed a survey at 2 waves.Measurement: Adolescents reported their sleep problems, non-physical bullying perpetration, and non-phys-ical bullying victimization in both waves.Results: The results from cross-lagged panel models revealed that sleep problems at time 1 significantly pre-dicted non-physical bullying victimization at time 2, but not in the opposite direction. In addition, non-physi-cal bullying perpetration at time 1 significantly predicted sleep problems at time 2, but not in the opposite direction. No significant differences emerged between male and female adolescents in the cross-lagged model of sleep problems with non-physical bullying perpetration and non-physical bullying victimization.Conclusion: This study advances the literature by revealing that sleep problems may be a consequence, not a precursor, of adolescent non-physical bullying perpetration and a precursor, not a consequence, of non-phys-ical bullying victimization. Intervention programs aimed at preventing adolescents from being non-physi-cally bullied may consider improving their sleep quality. Reducing adolescents' non-physical bullying perpetration may also improve sleep quality along the way.(c) 2022 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.