Cyberbullying, psychosocial adjustment, and suicidal ideation in adolescence

Abstract

Cyberbullying has become a growing social concern among the scientific community and in society in general. The consequences of cyberbullying for the victim are quite serious; many indicators of social maladjustment have been found, with suicide ideation being especially noteworthy. From this perspective, the main objective of this study was to analyze the relationships between cybervictimization and suicide ideation in adolescent victims of cyberbullying through the psychosocial maladjustment variables of loneliness, depressive symptomatology, perceived stress, and psychological distress. Participants in this study were 1,062 adolescents (547 boys, 515 girls), ranging in age from 12 to 18 years old (M = 14.51, SD = 1.62). The structural equations model showed that cybervictimization is directly and indirectly related to suicide ideation. Indirect relationships were found to have a greater effect on suicide ideation than the direct effects of cybervictimization. The relevance of these results for scientific research are discussed, as well as their implications for future scientific studies.