Current perspectives: the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health

Abstract

Cyberbullying has become an international public health concern among adolescents, and as such, it deserves further study. This paper reviews the current literature related to the effects of cyberbullying on adolescent health across multiple studies worldwide and provides directions for future research. A review of the evidence suggests that cyberbullying poses a threat to adolescents’ health and well-being. A plethora of correlational studies have demonstrated a cogent relationship between adolescents’ involvement in cyberbullying and negative health indices. Adolescents who are targeted via cyberbullying report increased depressive affect, anxiety, loneliness, suicidal behavior, and somatic symptoms. Perpetrators of cyberbullying are more likely to report increased substance use, aggression, and delinquent behaviors. Mediating/moderating processes have been found to influence the relationship between cyberbullying and adolescent health. More longitudinal work is needed to increase our understanding of the effects of cyberbullying on adolescent health over time. Prevention and intervention efforts related to reducing cyberbullying and its associated harms are discussed.

Cyberbullying y las estrategias de afrontamiento en adolescentes del sur de Brasil

“…Esse é um dado positivo, tendo em vista que o apoio social é apontado como uma estratégia efetiva para lidar com o cyberbullying e reduzir riscos para o desenvolvimento de psicopatologias (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009;Nixon, 2014;Raskauskas & Huynh, 2015;Völlink et al, 2013). No entanto, para que o suporte social seja uma forma de coping positivo, é necessário que o adolescente tenha pessoas com as quais possa contar, capazes de fornecer tanto auxílio prático quanto apoio emocional (Palladino et al, 2012).…”

“…Esse tipo de agressão tem sido associado a sintomas depressivos, ansiedade social e baixa autoestima (Baker & Tanrikulu, 2010;Jung et al, 2014;Nixon, 2014;Landoll, La Greca, Lai, Chan, & Herge, 2015). Além disso, estudos indicam relação entre vitimização por cyberbullying e níveis elevados de desconfiança, raiva, culpa e solidão nos envolvidos (Beran & Li, 2005;Brewer & Kerslake, 2015;Lonigro et al, 2014).…”

It’s Time to Ask the Right Questions: Highlighting Critical Areas to Explore Cyberbullying in Adolescents

“…As opposed to traditional bullying, cyberbullying invades the individual's life in unprecedented ways, as it is not limited by time and space and can have unlimited audience with an astronomical bystander effect [15,16,18].…”

“…Bullies have a diminished understanding of the consequences of their actions due to lack of face-to-face interaction and thus decreasing personal accountability. This disinhibition effect can lead to pervasive patterns of engagement in bullying behavior and sometimes making it impossible to trace the source [15,19,20].…”

“…Sourander et al reports that exposure to bullying, even in the absence of childhood psychiatric symptoms, is associated with severe adulthood psychiatric outcomes that require treatment in specialized services [14]. Adolescents who were both perpetrators and targets (i.e., bully/victims) experienced the most adverse health outcomes, including decreased psychological and physical health [15].…”