In a single-college convenience sample of 1,120 students in Sichuan, China, 21.5% reported being bullied and 9.0% reported bullying others, and both traditional and cyberbullying victimization were significantly associated with higher anxiety, depression and PTSD scores, while only traditional bullying victimization was associated with lower psychological resilience.
About one in five students reported being bullied and about one in eleven reported bullying others.
Age and ethnicity were not significantly related to any of the four mental health indicators.
Gender and family residence groups differed significantly in anxiety and depression scores, and family residence groups also differed in resilience scores.
Traditional bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization were significantly associated with higher anxiety, depression and PTSD scores.
Cyberbullying victimization showed a stronger association with PTSD symptoms than traditional bullying victimization.
Traditional bullying victimization was associated with lower psychological resilience.
Sensitivity analysis suggested that some inverse associations observed for traditional bullying with certain indicators may reflect suppression effects.
The authors conclude that campus-based screening and bullying prevention are needed for university students.
This study surveyed 1,120 students at one college in Sichuan, China, in late summer 2025. About 21.5% said they had been bullied, and 9.0% said they had bullied others. Students also completed standard questionnaires on anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and resilience (the ability to cope with stress). Students who had been bullied, whether in person or online, had notably higher anxiety, depression, and PTSD scores. Cyberbullying victimization was more strongly linked to PTSD symptoms than traditional bullying. Traditional bullying victimization was also linked to lower resilience. Gender and where a student's family lived were related to anxiety and depression scores, but age and ethnicity were not. This research suggests that bullying remains a mental health concern at the university level, not just in adolescence, and that different types of bullying may relate to different needs, such as trauma-focused support after cyberbullying and resilience-building after traditional bullying. Because the study was a one-time survey at a single college with a convenience sample, it cannot show that bullying causes these problems, and the results may not apply to all students.
Jing Y, Cao R, Yang D, Liu Y, Zhang J, Hui H, et al.. (2026). Bullying behavior and mental health among college students in Sichuan, China: a cross-sectional study.. Frontiers in public health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1889019