Exploring the effect of cyberbullying on psychological wellbeing among adolescents

Background

Cyberbullying is an increasing public health concern among adolescents, not only for its high prevalence but also due to its negative impact on mental health. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of cyberbullying on adolescents’ psychological wellbeing.

Methods

A total of 336 students aged 12–16 years from Gipuzkoa participated in the study. Cyberbullying was assessed using the CTQ questionnaire, and psychological wellbeing was measured using the KIDSCREEN-27 subscale. Additionally, information was collected on sociodemographic variables, problematic social media use (SPIU-SNS), and perceived stress (PSS-10). A directed acyclic graph (DAG) was constructed to illustrate the relationships among the study variables and to identify the appropriate adjustment set. Total and direct effects were estimated using linear regression models. Total effect was estimated adjusting for age, gender, parental education, and social media use, while the direct effect was additionally adjusted for perceived stress.

Results

The sample was composed of 55.9% girls. Preliminary results showed significant gender differences in psychological wellbeing (F (2)= 4249; p < 0.001). The estimated total effect of cyberbullying on psychological well-being was β = -3.713 [95% CI (-5.260, -2.166), p < 0.001], and the direct effect was β = -2.663 [95% CI (-3.962, -1.364), p < 0.001]. As the total effect includes pathways operating through perceived stress, these results suggest this factor can explain part of the effect of cybervictimization on psychological well-being.

Conclusions

Cybervictimization was significantly associated with lower psychological well-being in adolescents, and part of the effect was mediated by perceived stress. These findings highlight the need for prevention strategies aimed at reducing cyberbullying and promoting stress management among adolescents.

Key messages

• Cybervictimization was significantly associated with lower psychological wellbeing in adolescents.

• Part of the negative effect of cybervictimization on psychological wellbeing was explained by perceived stress.