Work

Happiness and depression in the traditionally bullied and cyberbullied 12-year-old

Year: 2016

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigated the overall happiness, school-related happiness, and depression of traditionally bullied and cyberbullied 12-year-old Finnish students. Among the more than 700 participants, traditional bullying (26%) was more frequent than cyberbullying (18%). Receiving insulting text messages or being the subject of offensive comments on the Internet were the most common forms of cyberbullying. Often those who were cyberbullied were also victims of traditional bullying (the poly-victimized comprised 11% of all participants). We found no differences between genders in traditional bullying rates, but cyberbullying was more common among girls. Being victimized, in either form, was related to a decrease in all measures of psychological well-being, with the poly-victimized scoring the lowest. In particular, being victimized predicted depression, with the poly-victimized scoring the highest. The results indicate a clear need to intervene in early adolescents’ culture of communicating via electronic devices and especially to identify victims of bullying in both the real and cyberworld.

Source: Open Review of Educational Research

DOI: 10.1080/23265507.2016.1155168

Authors: Lotta Uusitalo-Malmivaara, Juhani E. Lehto

Institution: University of Helsinki

Language: English

Topic: Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $900