Associations between Cyber-Victimization from Various Perpetrators, Depressive Symptoms, and Social Stress Among Early Adolescents

Background and Purpose: Adolescents are increasingly using a variety of social media platforms, which has made them more vulnerable to victimization in cyberspaces. Experiencing cyber-victimization during early adolescence (ages 10-14) may have detrimental mental health issues such as depressive symptoms and social stress (i.e., feelings of loneliness and exclusion). However, little research has examined who is perpetrating this cyber-victimization and how victimization from various perpetrators is associated with mental health outcomes. The current study examined the association between cyber-victimization from various perpetrators (e.g., friends, someone at school, family members, dating partners, or strangers), depressive symptoms, and social stress.

Method: 554 adolescents from a large, public middle school in the Midwestern United States participated in a survey in the fall of 2019. This sample was diverse in terms of race (41% African American or Black, 36% White) and ethnicity (20% Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino/Latina/Latinx). About half of the participants identified as female (49%). A multiple linear regression path model was run in Mplus to examine the associations between cyber-victimization, depressive symptoms and social stress. Then a multiple group model was tested to examine if there were any gender differences in the associations between the cyber-victimization by perpetrators, depressive symptoms, and social stress.

Results: The results show that 59% of the adolescents reported any form of cyber-victimization in the past year form at least one perpetrator. Among these adolescents, 39.9% experienced cyber-victimization from their friends the most followed by someone at school (24.4%) and dating partners (16.8%). Experiences of cyber-victimization friends were associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms (β = .11, p = 0.02) and social stress (β = 10, p = .03). Other results highlighted that understanding perpetrators of cyber-victimization is critical to better understand the context and impact of cyber-victimization experiences among early adolescents.

Conclusions and Implications: The results of the study provide evidence that examining the perpetrator and gender differences is important in cyber-victimization experiences among early adolescents. As we know that friends and dating partners have a stronger association with mental health experiences, this study can provide evidence in increasing a spotlight to schools when implementing school-based cyber-victimization prevention programs. Also, in terms of gender differences, due to the results, we can see that programs at schools should focus more on a universal approach. This presentation will conclude with more detailed recommendations for research and practice particularly in middle school settings.