How Cyberbullying Impact on Mental Health

Abstract

Cyberbullying has been at an all time high since the invention of technology. With the use of cell phones and the internet it now easier then ever for adolescents to bully one another through text messages, social media, and through email. The internet it an extraordinary piece of technology but it can also be used to bully others. The majority of adolescents who bully through the internet or text messages don’t understand or know the dangers and how harmful it can be to another person.

Others who cyberbully usually have bad intentions and like to seek out a target. Because of the fact that the use of technology has increased over the years it in important to inform all teen the risk of what they put out over the internet. The things that they post or send can be extremely harmful to others and how they can prevent such things from occurring.

Cyberbullying is the use of technology to taunt or harm another using the internet or through text messaging. Some bullies like to use the internet to bully others simply because of the fact that it is a lot easier to bully online. Majority of bullies feel that they can get away with doing it. The bullied however are thought of ass easy targets. Most of the time those who are bullied later on down the line became the bullied themselves so it is an endless cycle. More than twenty-five percent of teens have reported being cyberbullied before and there are more then eighty percent of teen who use they phones on a daily basis. In Bronfenbrenner’s theory, cyberbullying would affect a child’s microsystem due to the fact that that child is being affected directly. The interaction with that child would effect its growth. Research has also has also shown that boys tend to be perpetrators the and girls to be more on the receiving end for the internet bullying. Cyberbullying is not only harmful to adolescence but most teens don’t even know or understand the affects of how cyberbullying can impacts someone. Prevention and teaching understanding should be key in when teens are using the internet.

Cyberbullying Among Teens with Disabilities

The cyberbullying of adolescence with disability’s is thought of as easy to bullies due to the fact that they make easy targets. In addition to the statement made previously, it has also been found that students are bullied by what disability they have. Some are more likely to be bullied then others. If the student has a learning, social or physical disability they are more likely to be bullied. Some way that can prevent bullying among adolescence with disabilities are to create buddy systems. A buddy system would always children with special need to gain a relationship with their peer who is respected. Another way is to teaching adaptive strategies or helping their peers to gain a better understanding of a child with special needs. (“”Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs””).

Research

When a total of 205 students were survey, it was discovered that they had all experienced some form of cyberbullying. Another thing that was found when doing this survey was that students with disabilities have a higher risk of being cyberbullied, much like results showed with that of usual bullying. Though studies have shown that teens who have ADHA or autisms can be both predator and pray when it comes to cyberbullying. Those who have disabilities and those who don’t still have the same effect on mental health. Research has also shown that teen who are cyberbullied have higher chances of having low self esteem and depression. (Kowalski, Morgan, Drake-Lavelle, & Allison, 2016).

Mental Health

Cyberbullying is nothing new in this technology generation. It is typically used in order to humiliate or harm another person. In an article about mental health and cyberbullying, cyberbullying is described as bullying with the use of electronic advancements like, test messaging, emails, websites, and even games (Hase, Goldberg, Smith, Stuck, & Campain, 2015). Cyberbullying can be directly linked to reason for suicide in teens. Creating mental health issues at an young ages can cause issues for them later in life. Issues like depression, low self-esteem are just among the many issues that can be formed for a victim of cyberbullying.

Research

Studies have shown that a high number of suicides among those who are victims of cyberbullying. “Moreover, several studies have found higher incidence of suicidality among victims of cyberbullying” (Bauman, Toomey, & Walker, 2013).

References

Bauman, S., Toomey, R. B., & Walker, J. L. (2013). Associations among bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide in high school students. Journal of Adolescence, 36, 341–350.

Brailovskaia, J., Teismann, T., & Margraf, J. (2018). Cyberbullying, positive mental health and suicide ideation/behavior. Psychiatry Research, 267, 240-242. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.05.074

Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/groups/special-needs/index.html

Kowalski, R. M., Morgan, C. A., Drake-Lavelle, K., & Allison, B. (2016). Cyberbullying among college students with disabilities. Computers in Human Behavior,57, 416-427. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.044

Hase, C. N., Goldberg, S. B., Smith, D., Stuck, A., & Campain, J. (2015). Impacts Of Traditional Bullying And Cyberbullying On The Mental Health Of Middle School And High School Students. Psychology in the Schools,52(6), 607-617. doi:10.1002/pits.21841

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