Cyberbullying has a direct relationship with suicidal ideation

The review of 19 scientific articles that studied the relationship over time between cyberbullying, suicidal ideation and attempt, and harmful behaviors establishes a significant connection between the first two

Cyberbullying is defined as the intentional harm caused by one person to another virtually through the use of computers, phones or other mobile devices.

Researchers from the Andalusian School of Public Health (EASP), CIBERESP and ibsGRANADA have reviewed 19 published longitudinal scientific studies on the relationship between cyberbullying and suicidal and self-harming thoughts or behaviors.

The results show a statistically significant relationship between exposure to cyberbullying and an increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt, although they are not conclusive for self-harm.

The studies identified and analyzed in this review had a longitudinal design, and focused on populations with an age range of 10 to 29 years in the geographical areas of Asia, North America and Oceania, and Europe.

Longitudinal designs allow for a more reliable establishment of the relationship between exposure to cyberbullying and the results analyzed, since they do not reflect a specific situation in time, but rather record the variables studied in the people participating in the study over a period, providing information on developments over time.

The statistically significant relationship found between cyberbullying and suicidal ideation provides more precise information on the causal relationship between the two problems. However, no such relationship was found between cyberbullying and a higher risk of self-harm.

These results invite us to draw attention to the need to establish rapid response protocols in cases of cyberbullying and to establish educational and health policies that help prevent these episodes, which can have dramatic consequences for those affected. In addition, the need is identified to continue exploring the associations between cyberbullying and suicidal and self-harming behaviours, prioritising short follow-up periods, given the rapidly changing nature of the problem under study.

Journal with impact factor and peer review

The results have been published by the peer-reviewed journal Cyberpsychology Behavior and Social Networking, indexed among the top 10 journals in its category in the Journal Citation Report, which is an indicator of the quality of the studies published in them after peer review.

The authors Irene Morales-Arjona, Vivian Benítez-Hidalgo, Isabel Ruiz-Pérez, Camila Higueras-Callejón and Guadalupe Pastor-Moreno carry out their research work as part of the Andalusian School of Public Health, the Consortium of Biomedical Research Network in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP) and the group E09-Innovation and equity in health services and health policies from the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA).