Does Higher Family SES Attenuate the Association Between Bullying Victimization and Depressive Symptoms? Evidence From the German Twin Family Panel

Research has shown that bullying victimization is positively associated with depressive symptoms. Theoretical approaches propose that higher family resources can attenuate this relationship. Yet it remains unclear whether the moderating effect of family resources reflects true moderation or merely underlying family-level characteristics. Using data from the German Twin Family Panel (TwinLife), we investigate whether higher family socioeconomic status (SES) attenuates the association between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Between-family analyses show that bullying victimization is significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms and that higher family SES attenuates this association. Within-family models, which account for shared family-level characteristics, show that bullying victimization remains associated with higher depressive symptoms and higher family SES attenuates this association. The findings support theoretical predictions that higher family SES acts as a protective factor that attenuates the influence of bullying victimization. Our results suggest that efforts to promote mental health for adolescents who experience bullying victimization should also aim to strengthen social and family resources. • Bullying victimization is associated with higher depressive symptoms in adolescent twins. • Higher family SES attenuates this association across pooled and between-family models. • The buffering effect of family SES persists in twin fixed-effects models. • Findings highlight family SES as a protective factor for adolescent mental health.