Prevalence and Internalizing Problems of Ethnoracially Diverse Victims of Traditional and Cyber Bullying

Abstract

The present study sought to gain a better understanding of cyber bullying (i.e., the use of information technologies to inflict harm on another person) by examining its prevalence, its relationship with traditional bullying, and the relationship between bullying, anxiety, and depression in a sample of rural and ethnoracially diverse youth (N = 211; ages 10–13). Thirty-three percent of participants reported being victims of traditional bullying and 9 % reported perpetrating traditional bullying behavior. Seven percent of participants were victims of cyber bullying, 4 % reported that they participated in cyber bully behavior, and 2 % were both of victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying. Bullying victims reported significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression compared with non-victims and bullies endorsed significant anxiety and depression. Results suggest that while cyber bullying does occur in rural communities, it often co-occurs with traditional bullying. Additionally, a novel cyber bullying measure was developed and utilized, and information regarding its reliability and validity is included.