Covitality moderates the relationship between victimisation and loneliness

Objective: Research suggests that low levels of school belonging and high levels of victimisation predict negative emotions, including loneliness. However, few studies have examined this relation among Chinese elementary school students. The protective role of covitality against victimisation and loneliness also remains unexplored. This study examines the relations between bullying victimisation, school belonging, covitality, and loneliness over 6 months, and whether covitality moderates the relations between victimisation and loneliness. Method: Eight hundred students from five elementary schools in China completed self-report surveys at two time points (6 months apart). Results: Bullying victimisation, school belonging, and covitality predicted loneliness 6 months later. Students who experienced more bullying victimisation, lower levels of school belonging, and lower covitality reported more loneliness 6 months later. Covitality buffered the relation between verbal victimisation at Time 1 (T1) and loneliness at T1 but did not buffer the relation between victimisation T1 and loneliness at Time 2 (T2). Conclusions: Schools should prevent bullying, foster school belonging, and promote covitality (positive psychological traits) to reduce Chinese youths' feelings of loneliness. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: (1) Victimisation is a risk factor for loneliness for children in the United States. (2) School belonging is a protective factor for loneliness for children in United States. (3) Covitality is a protective factor for youth. What this topic adds: (1) Victimisation is a risk factor for loneliness for children in China. (2) School belonging and covitality are protective factors against loneliness for children in China. (3) Covitality moderates the relation between verbal victimisation and loneliness using cross-sectional data only.