The relationship between cyberbullying perpetration/victimization and suicidal ideation in healthy young adults: the indirect effects of positive and negative psychotic experiences

Abstract

Background Even though not all cyber bullies or victims think of (or consider) suicide, they clearly appear to be at an increased risk. One possible strategy to reduce suicide risk is to decrease cyberbullying occurrence; but this approach has its limitations, as it is certainly an illusion to believe that cyberbullying could be controlled or eliminated in a digitalized world. Another alternative and interesting strategy is to consider mediating factors that may indirectly affect suicidality. To this end, our purpose was to test the hypothesis that positive and negative psychotic experiences (PEs) mediate the relationship from cyberbullying perpetration/victimization to suicidal ideation (SI). Method The study followed a cross-sectional design, and was conducted during the period from June to September 2022. A total of 3103 healthy community participants from Lebanon were included (mean age 21.73 ± 3.80 years, 63.6% females). Results After adjusting over potential confounders, mediation analysis models showed that both positive and negative PEs partially mediated the associations between cyberbullying victimization/perpetration and SI. Higher cyberbullying perpetration and victimization were significantly associated with greater positive and negative PEs; more severe positive and negative PEs were significantly associated with higher levels of SI. Higher cyberbullying victimization and perpetration were significantly and directly associated with higher levels of SI. Conclusion In light of our preliminary findings, there appears to be an urgent need for a new focus on carefully assessing and addressing attenuated psychotic symptoms in healthy individuals engaged in cyberbullying either as victims or bullies and who present with SI. It is important that school counselors and decision-makers consider a holistic approach taking into account both external/environmental (bullying) and internal/individual (PEs) factors in their suicide prevention programs. Future longitudinal research in larger samples are still required to confirm our findings and further elucidate the mechanisms underlying the relationship between cyberbullying and suicide.

Digital Dilemma of Cyberbullying Victimization among High School Students: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Associations with Stress and Mental Well-Being

“…The cross-sectional design is well suited for examining the complex interplay between variables and generating hypotheses for future research while also offering practical insights for the development of targeted prevention and intervention strategies [ 77 ]. This design has been widely used in previous studies investigating cyberbullying and its correlates among adolescents [ 49 , 51 , 65 , 71 , 78 ], demonstrating its suitability for the current research objectives.…”

“…Socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity have also yielded mixed results, highlighting the need for further investigation [ 47 , 48 ]. Online risk factors, such as increased time spent on social networks and risky online behaviors, have consistently been associated with higher rates of victimization by means of cyberbullying [ 49 , 50 ]. Furthermore, psychosocial factors, including low self-esteem, poor social skills, and previous victimization experiences, have emerged as significant predictors [ 51 , 52 ].…”