Abstract: Cyberbullying and Substance Use Among Adolescents (Society for Social Work and Research 22nd Annual Conference - Achieving Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Justice)

Schedule:

Sunday, January 14, 2018: 10:51 AM

Independence BR A (ML 4) (Marriott Marquis Washington DC)

* noted as presenting author

Yoewon Yoon, MSW, Doctoral student, University of Southern California, LA, CA

Mariel S. Bello, BS, Doctoral student, University of Southern California, LA, CA

Rubin Khoddam, MA, Doctoral Candidate, University of Southern California, LA, CA

Adam M. Leventhal, PhD, Associate professor, University of Southern California, LA, CA

Jungeun Olivia Lee, MSW, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Background: Previous studies have reported the impact of bullying victimization on substance use among adolescents. However, several gaps in the literature remain. First, most prior studies focused on the impact of traditional bullying on substance use. It is unknown whether cyberbullying, the most prevalent form of interpersonal violence among adolescents, exerts a detrimental impact on substance use among adolescents. Second, prior studies have primarily focused on alcohol and marijuana use in relation to cyberbullying, and thus it is unknown whether cyberbullying has a negative influence on the use of other substances that have gained popularity among youth, such as e-cigarettes.

The present study examined whether any involvement in cyberbullying (i.e., victimization, perpetration, or being a witness) is associated with multiple types of adolescents’ substance use. Potential gender differences in the association have been also examined, considering empirical evidence suggesting such differences and a lack of consensus regarding for which gender the impact is stronger.

Methods: Data are from the Happiness & Health Study (n=2,515), a longitudinal study of substance use and mental health among high school students in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Past six-month recreational use of alcohol, cigarette, hookah, cigar, e-cigarettes, marijuana, edible marijuana, prescription stimulants, and prescription painkillers were measured at Wave 5 (age=16.50), using standard validated items used in epidemiologic surveys of adolescents. Prior experience with cyberbullying (i.e., victimization, perpetration, being a witness) was measured at Wave 3 (age=15.51). In the present study, students who were ever involved in any form of cyberbullying were coded 1 [n= 1,372] and otherwise 0. Covariates included gender, ethnicity, baseline substance use, and parental education. Logistic regression was used as the main modeling strategy.

Results:Individuals who had experienced any kind of cyberbullying were at higher risk of substance use of all types examined in the present study. Moreover, the impact of cyberbullying on substance use might be stronger for female students, particularly in relation to alcohol, cigarettes, cigar, e-cigarettes, marijuana, and marijuana edible.

Conclusions and Implications: Our findings suggest that cyberbullying is a potential risk factor for substance use behaviors among high school students, indicating that cyberbullying, in addition to traditional forms of bullying, should be considered in social work and prevention efforts to discourage the development of substance problems. Moreover, substance use prevention efforts, which are tailored for female students’ bullying experiences might be particularly useful to prevent the development of substance use and to promote the desistence from it.