Abstract
Background: There is limited literature available showing the mental health burden among adolescents following cyberbullying. Objective: The aim was to evaluate the association between low mood and suicidality among cyberbullied adolescents. Method: A cross-sectional analysis of the data was performed among adolescents from the National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Responses from adolescents related to cyberbullying and suicidality were evaluated. Chi-square and mix-effect multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association of cyberbullying with sadness/hopelessness and suicide consideration, plan, and attempts. Results: Of a total of 8274 adolescents, 14.8% of adolescents faced cyberbullying past year. There was a higher prevalence of cyberbullying in youths aged 15, 16, and 17 years (25%, 26%, 23%, respectively), which included more females than males (68% vs. 32%; p < 0.0001). Caucasians (53%) had the highest number of responses to being cyberbullied compared to Hispanics (24%) or African Americans (11%; p < 0.0001). There was an increased prevalence of cyberbullied youths, feelings of sadness/hopelessness (59.6% vs. 25.8%), higher numbers considering suicide (40.4% vs. 13.2%), suicide plan (33.2% vs. 10.8%), and multiple suicidal attempts in comparison to non-cyberbullied (p < 0.0001). On regression analysis, cyberbullied adolescents had a 155% higher chance of feeling sad and hopeless [aOR = 2.55; 95%CI = 2.39–2.72] and considered suicide [aOR = 1.52 (1.39–1.66)] and suicide plan [aOR = 1.24 (1.13–1.36)]. Conclusion: In our Study, cyberbullying was associated with negative mental health outcomes. Further research is warranted to examine the impact of cyberbullying among adolescents and guiding the policies to mitigate the consequences.
Highlights
Bullying is physically or verbally aggressive behavior intended to cause harm or distress
In the YRBS survey, the total number of adolescents included in the study was
There is a higher prevalence of cyberbullying in youths aged 15–17 years
Summary
Bullying is physically or verbally aggressive behavior intended to cause harm or distress. In the youth population, bullying most often occurs on the school ground, where adolescents spend most of their time learning and socializing. It can have a serious and devastating impact on the social and academic life of our youth [1]. Youths who get bullied often suffer from low mood, depression, and suicidal thoughts, impacting their daily lives. These negative impacts on youth well-being have been documented through research in physical and verbal bullying on the school ground. Objective: The aim was to evaluate the association between low mood and suicidality among cyberbullied adolescents. There was a higher prevalence of cyberbullying in youths aged 15, 16, and 17 years (25%, 26%, 23%, respectively), which included more females than males (68% vs. 32%; p < 0.0001)
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