Cyberbullying and problematic social media use: an insight into the positive role of social support in adolescents—data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in Italy

Marengo, Nicola; Borraccino, Alberto; Charrier, Lorena; Berchialla, Paola; Dalmasso, Paola; Caputo, Marcello; Lemma, Patrizia

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2021.08.010

Cited by 14 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…As reported for other European countries, in Italy, cyber aggression and cyberbullying represent an emerging phenomena among adolescents; cybervictimization is more frequent than cyberbullying perpetration and, in line with other studies, its occurrence decreases with age, although it is higher in girls, particularly at younger ages [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 30 ]. Cyberbullying perpetration showed a slight increase with age in both genders.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Students were asked how often, in the past two months, they had perpetrated or had been the victims of cyberbullying. Response options were: “ I have not cyberbullied/been cyberbullied ”, “ once or twice ”, “ 2 or 3 times a month ”, “ about once a week ”, “ several times a week ”, further dichotomized into “ never ” vs. “ once or more ” [ 4 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cyber aggression and problematic social media use (PSMU) negatively affect adolescents’ health, especially in girls, who are more often victims of cyberbullying [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Excessive and maladaptive use of social media (including social networking sites and instant messaging apps), combined with emotional instability, extroversion, and lack of awareness, can exacerbate the phenomena [ 3 , 5 , 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to recent literature, cyber aggression has been defined as an intentional act aimed at harming another person or persons through computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices and, regardless of its recurrence—shifting to an act of cyber bullying—it is perceived negatively by the victim [ 7 ]. The highest risk of cybervictimization was reported to occur between 12 and 15 years old [ 1 , 3 ] and was further shown to be associated with PSMU [ 4 , 8 ]. As for the latter, unlike the agreement of what cyber aggression and cyberbullying are, the interest in PSMU among adolescents has gradually increased over the last decade.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As for the latter, unlike the agreement of what cyber aggression and cyberbullying are, the interest in PSMU among adolescents has gradually increased over the last decade. Although there is still no shared understanding of what PSMU is and how it should be measured, it has been linked to a greater likelihood of depressive symptoms, health complaints, anxiety, lower life satisfaction, and social isolation [ 4 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Therefore, given the potential damage to adolescent mental and social health, it should become a public health priority to deepen knowledge of both PSMU and cyber aggression, and to identify any moderators capable of mitigating the occurrence of such harmful combinations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Problematic Social Media Use and Cyber Aggression in Italian Adolescents: The Remarkable Role of Social Support

Borraccino¹,

Marengo²,

Dalmasso³

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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The recent increase in electronic and social media use among young people has highlighted the importance of focusing on problematic social media use (PSMU) and the concurrent phenomenon of cyber aggression, as well as the role of social support. As part of the 2018 Health Behavior in School-aged Children study in Italy, this study aims to explore the role of family, peer, and teacher support in the association between cyberbullying and PSMU. Methods: Data were collected from 4183 school classes in Italy for a total of 58,976 adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 years. The prevalence of cyber aggression (both cybervictimization and perpetration) and PSMU was estimated across subgroups of different age, gender, and geographical residence. A set of multivariable logistic regressions was then used to investigate the association between cyberbullying and PSMU, considering the effect of social support. Results: Cybervictimization was more frequent among girls than in boys. PSMU was higher in 11-year-old boys and 13-year-old girls; 8.3% and 12.7%, respectively. Social support was highest in 11-year-olds, for both sexes, and then decreased with increasing age. The risk of cyberbullying, both suffered and perpetrated, was higher in girls and in the presence of PSMU. Social support showed to be highly protective against PSMU and cyberbullying in all ages and both genders. Conclusion: Although cyber aggression is less represented in Italy than in other European countries, it is likely to increase. PSMU appears to be an important contributor to the risk of cyber aggression; however, social support has been shown to be capable of reducing the risk of both phenomena. Public health policies fostering familiar and school support can help protect adolescents’ mental health, reducing the risk of problematic media use and cyberbullying.

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