Traditional bullying and cyberbullying in the digital age and its associated mental health problems in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Bullying is a risk factor for the physical and mental health of adolescents. The advent of new technologies has resulted in a brand-new type of bullying, cyberbullying (CB). The co-occurring effects of cyberbullying and traditional bullying(TB) forms of bullying on adolescent mental health are unclear. We performed a meta-analysis to explore the unique and combined effects of CB and TB on adverse psychological outcomes in victims by conducting a joint study of both types of bullying. By doing so, we provide the basis for a comprehensive community bullying prevention program. The database PubMed, PsyclNFO, and Web of Science were searched for studies from 2010 to 2021. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guideline was followed for data abstraction, and the NIH tool was used to evaluate study-level risk of bias. 42 studies with 266,888 participants were identified. Random-Effect models were used for our study. The moderator analysis was used to explore the moderator of prevalence. Studies with three groups of victims (TB only, CB only, and Both) and two groups of victims (TB and CB) were compared in subgroup analysis. The mean victimization rate was 24.32% (95% CI 20.32–28.83%) for TB and 11.10% (95% CI 9.12–13.44%) for CB. Roughly one-third of TB victims were also victimized by CB. Conversely, only about one-third of CB victims were free from TB. The estimated ORs for depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and self-harm in the three-group (TB only, CB only and Both) analysis were: depression [TB only: 3.33 (2.22–5.00); CB only: 3.38 (2.57–4.46); Both: 5.30 (2.43–11.56)]; suicidal ideations [TB only: 3.08 (2.12–4.46); CB only: 3.52 (2.38–5.20); Both: 6.64 (4.14–10.64)]; self-harm [TB only: 2.70 (1.86–3.91); CB only: 3.57 (3.20–3.98); Both: 5.57 (2.11–16.00)]; and suicide attempts: [TB only: 2.61 (1.50–4.55); CB only: 3.52 (2.50–4.98); Both: 7.82 (3.83–15.93)]. TB and CB victimization among youth are a matter of public health concern. Victimization appears to be a marker of greater psychopathological severity, particularly suicide-related issues.