Self-Harm, Suicidal Behaviours, and Cyberbullying in Children and Young People: Systematic Review (Preprint)

Abstract

Evidence before this studyThe adverse impact of bullying on children and young people has long been recognised. The rise of electronic communication has led to "cyberbullying". Two previous systematic reviews exploring the association between cyberbullying involvement and self-harm (SH)/suicidal behaviours included only three quantitative studies on this topic but the field has rapidly expanded. Added value of this studyWe conducted a comprehensive search of all available literature form 1 st January 1996 to 3 rd February 2017 examining the association between cyberbullying involvement and SH and suicidal behaviours in children and young people. We included studies on both victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying and assessed SH, suicidal behaviours, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation separately. We quantified these relationships through metaanalyses. We identified 31 eligible articles across almost 30 different nations.Victims of cyberbullying are at a greater risk than non-victims of both SH and suicidal behaviours. To a lesser extent, perpetrators of cyberbullying are at risk of suicidal behaviours and suicidal ideation when compared to non-perpetrators. Implications of all the available evidenceAnti-bullying programmes in educational settings should include cyberbullying prevention alongside traditional bullying and address the needs and behaviours of both victims and perpetrators. Clinicians assessing mental health issues in children and young people should specifically and routinely ask about Internet use and cyberbullying. This research area would benefit from a clear definition of cyberbullying. Prospective longitudinal study designs should be employed to address issues of causality and direction using validated instruments to assess suicidal behaviours. More detailed analysis of the medium of cyberbullying, the interaction of cyberbullying with traditional bullying and potential protective factors is also required. 2 ABSTRACT Background

Social Media Use: A Risk Factor for Depression among School Adolescents in Enugu State of Nigeria

“…Other findings include; that loss of self-esteem and failure to achieve are sources through which social media could cause depression, that cyber bulling may also lead to depression. This supports the finding by John et al (2018) who after a research concluded that victims of cyber bullying are at greater risk of depression, self-harm, and suicide behaviours than non-victims.…”

Online Racial Discrimination, Suicidal Ideation, and Traumatic Stress in a National Sample of Black Adolescents

“…Extant research supports this theory, with results showing that offline racial discrimination is linked to increased suicidal ideation among Black youth. 5,6 In addition, cyberbullying is associated with increased suicidal ideation, 7 and Black adolescents have an average of 5 racially discriminatory experiences daily, mostly occurring online. 8 Research is needed to determine whether online racial discrimination (ORD), defined as demeaning or excluding an individual or group on the basis of race through the use of symbols, video, images, text, and voice, may contribute to increased suicidal ideation among Black youth.…”