The Longitudinal Association Between School Sports Atmosphere and Non-suicidal Self-injury Among Adolescents: The Chain Mediating Roles of School Connectedness and School Bullying Victimization

Objective Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a major public health concern with serious implications for adolescents' mental health. Using longitudinal data, this study examined the mechanisms linking school sports atmosphere (SSA) to NSSI among adolescents, focusing on the chain-mediating role of school connectedness (SC) and school bullying victimization (SBV). Methods The School Sports Atmosphere Scale, School Connectedness Scale, Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, and Adolescent Non-suicidal Self-injury Assessment Questionnaire were administered to 987 adolescents in a two-wave longitudinal study spanning six months. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 26.0. Results 1. All four study variables were significantly correlated; 2. Cross-lagged analysis showed that SSA at Time 1 (T1) negatively predicted NSSI at Time 2 (T2) (β = -0.229, p < 0.01), indicating that higher SSA at T1 was associated with lower levels of NSSI six months later; 3. Mediation analysis identified three significant indirect effects: T1 SSA → T1 SC → T2 NSSI (indirect effect = -0.170, 95% CI [-0.308, -0.042]), accounting for 28% of the total effect; T1 SSA → T2 SBV → T2 NSSI (indirect effect = -0.125, 95% CI [-0.262, -0.043]), accounting for 21%; and T1 SSA → T1 SC → T2 SBV → T2 NSSI (indirect effect = -0.141, 95% CI [-0.271, -0.072]), accounting for 23%. Conclusion This study provides preliminary longitudinal evidence regarding the mechanisms linking SSA to NSSI among adolescents. SSA prospectively predicted NSSI through the separate mediating pathways of SC and SBV and the chain-mediating pathway linking SC to SBV. These findings may inform efforts to prevent and intervene in adolescent NSSI and support the development of more targeted intervention strategies.