청소년의 사이버불링피해가 자살생각에 미치는 영향: 자아존중감의 조절효과를 중심으로

Abstract

Objectives: In Korea, the rising rate of adolescent suicide is a serious social issue. Although cyberbullying victimization is a critical determinant of suicidal behaviors, the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal behaviors has not been well studied. The current study aims to examine the association between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation employing Selye’s general adaptation syndrome and investigate the moderating effect of self-esteem based on Baumeister’s escape theory. Methods: Data from the 2019 Survey on Human Rights of Children and Adolescents were employed for the analysis. The study used 2,028 adolescents’ data selected using Mahalanobis Distance Matching. Polynomial regression was used as the primary analysis method, and the response surface method was employed for result visualization. Results: The analysis results are as follows: First, cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation were curvilinearly associated with suicidal ideation. Second, self-esteem was negatively associated with suicidal ideation. Third, self-esteem moderated the effect of cyberbullying victimization on suicidal ideation. Conclusion: The results empirically and partially confirm Selye’s general adaptation syndrome and Baumeister’s escape theory. Implications were discussed for theories concerning suicidal behaviors and social work practices for the prevention of suicidal behavior among adolescents.