Young people who experienced cyberbullying were more likely to develop emotional and behavioural problems over the following six months if the experience led to feelings of loneliness and difficulties managing their emotions.
This is according to a study – “Cyberbullying victimization and adolescent emotional and conduct problems: Roles of loneliness, emotion dysregulation, and self-esteem” by Yixuan Li, Monja Knoll, and Ingrid Obsuth – that was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
The findings, according to the researchers, highlight the importance of supporting young people’s mental health after cyberbullying by helping them feel less isolated and supporting their emotional wellbeing.
To date, around two-thirds of children worldwide report an increase in cyberbullying, with one in two saying they don’t know how to get the right support. So the researchers surveyed 501 adolescents to test whether more severe cyberbullying was associated with later greater emotional and conduct problems, and if so why.
They examined the results to investigate which emotional responses had the most influence on linking online bullying with later emotional consequences. The team examined data from two senior Chinese high schools. China is particularly important as an example because of a high prevalence of cyberbullying, the researchers say.
The researchers analyzed questionnaires which surveyed the adolescents aged 15 to 18 years about their online experiences, the research used the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire. The surveys – which were repeated after six months – also measured loneliness, emotion regulation difficulties, self-esteem and emotional and conduct problems.
The findings showed that loneliness and difficulties in managing emotions appeared to have more influence than self-esteem issues in explaining why teenagers who experience online bullying were more likely to report later emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Problem with regulating emotions was a significant pathway to other emotional issues such as anxiety, while not being able to control impulses had a significant effect on the risk of conduct problems.
This was the case even when other factors such as age and gender were taken into account.
According to Yixuan Li, who led the study: “Cyberbullying victimization can have serious consequences for young people’s mental health, but our findings suggest that what happens afterwards also matters. Adolescents subjected to cyberbullying may feel increasingly lonely and may struggle to manage difficult emotions, which may help explain why some go on to experience emotional and behavioral difficulties. The clear message is that supporting young people after cyberbullying is important.”
The study builds on the team’s previous research which brought together evidence from 125 studies involving more than 260,000 participants from 33 countries. The findings identified factors which influence the lasting impact of cyberbullying on teenagers’ mental health.
The current study identifies which of those pathways appear to play the most important role in linking cyberbullying with later emotional and behavioral difficulties. And the findings provide a more nuanced understanding of where prevention and intervention efforts may be most effective, the researchers stressed.
