Does Cyber Bullying Effect Mental Health

Does Cyber Bullying Effect Mental Health

Introduction

Since the beginning of time, bullying has been a problem. It happens everywhere; in schools, in daycares, on sports teams, in the workplace, and now more than ever, it is happening on social networking cites, chat rooms and through text messaging. The cyber world has become an increasingly popular place for bullies to find their targets. When a bully is behind a computer screen, not seeing their victim face to face, it creates a sense of anonymity, which then makes it easier for the bully to harass his or her victim. Some people might argue that bullying is a rite of passage; but it needs to stop. The increasing popularity of social networking cites, text messaging and incessant communication is causing a rise in mental health issues and suicide amongst adolescents.

Summary of Research

In the article "Forensic mental health aspects of adolescent 'cyber bullying': A

jurisprudent science perspective" authors E. Y Drogin, J.D., PH.D., ABPP (Forensic) and K. Young, M.D. argue that cyber bullying severely detriments mental health. To conduct their research, they used Olweus' Bully/Victim Questionnaire to assess the effects of cyber bullying on mental health. These scientists had students fill out a survey asking them various questions regarding bullying and their mental health. According to their research, there is links between cyber bullying and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), conduct disorder, multiple personality disorders, anxiety and suicide in adolescents.

Adolescents are not the only age group that becomes victims of cyber bullying. According to B. Dilmac, it happens at college universities also. Dilmac conducted a study that investigated the relationship between psychological needs and cyber bullying. Dilmac took a study of 666 undergraduate students (231 males and 435 females) from 15 programs in the Faculty of Education at Selcuk University in Turkey. The students were asked questions about the demographics, engagement in and exposure to cyber bullying. Through his research, he learned that 22.5 % of the students surveyed reported that they had engaged in cyber bullying at least one time in their lives, and 55.3% of the students surveyed reported that they had been the victim of cyber bullying at least once.

This author concluded that cyber bullying is becoming an increasingly detrimental problem in North America and all over the world. The prevalence of cyber bullying is increasing yearly, and without change, the mental health of adolescents and young adults around the world will be severely affected.

According to the article "Bullying, a deadly sin", cyber bullying and discrimination leads to mental health issues and suicide in teens. This article took note of a study conducted that surveyed teens with depression. Through this study, the author found that cyber bullying leads to a higher rate of mental illness than any other kind of hate crime. 3.2 million Teenagers annually report cyber bullying as a contributor in their depression.