Abstract
Cyberbullying victimization has become a significant mental health concern, particularly among adolescents at risk of experiencing negative consequences like depression. As the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic forced everyone to stay at home and participate in all their educational, recreational, and entertainment activities online, this study investigated the relationship between cyberbullying victimization (CV) and depressive symptoms among 612 college students in Tamilnadu, India. We hypothesized that experiences of cyberbullying victimization would predict depressive symptoms among the participants. Adolescent participants aged 18 to 19 years old from colleges in Tamilnadu completed an online survey composed of the Cybervictimization questionnaire for adolescents (CYVIC) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Results obtained show a very strong positive relationship between cyberbullying victimization and depression, with CV being a very strong predictor in the relationship. Moreover, impersonation, written-verbal cyber victimization, visual-teasing/happy slapping, and online exclusion contributing highly to the strong positive relationship between the variables. These findings can be a foundation for intervention programs to alleviate depressive symptoms by addressing CV experiences and focus on further research on the negative consequences of cyberbullying victimization among adolescents.
Bahasa Abstract
Viktimisasi melalui perundungan-siber (cyberbullying) telah menjadi masalah kesehatan mental yang signifikan terutama di kalangan remaja yang berisiko mengalami depresi dan konsekuensi negatif lainnya. Ketika wabah COVID-19 memaksa semua orang untuk tinggal di rumah dan terlibat dalam kegiatan pendidikan, rekreasi, dan hiburan secara daring, penelitian ini menyelidiki hubungan antara cyberbullying victimization dengan gejala depresi pada 612 mahasiswa di Tamilnadu, India. Kami berhipotesis bahwa pengalaman cyberbullying victimization akan memprediksi gejala depresi partisipan. Remaja berusia 18 hingga 19 tahun dari perguruan tinggi di Tamilnadu menyelesaikan survei daring yang terdiri dari Cybervictimization Questionnaire for Adolescents (CYVIC) dan Beck's Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya hubungan positif yang signifikan antara cyberbullying victimization dan depresi (r = 0,80, p < 0,001). Analisis regresi mengungkapkan bahwa secara statistik, cyberbullying victimization adalah prediktor gejala depresi yang signifikan (r2 = 0,65). Demikian juga, dimensi impersonate (r = 0,70), written–verbal cyber victimization (r = 0,73), visual teasing/happy slapping (r = 0,69), dan online exclusion (r = 0,67) berkontribusi pada hubungan positif yang signifikan antara variabel. Temuan ini dapat menjadi landasan program intervensi untuk mengurangi gejala depresi dengan mengatasi pengalaman cyberbullying dan melakukan penelitian lebih lanjut tentang efek negatif dari cyberbullying victimization di kalangan remaja.
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Recommended Citation
Maria Michael, J., & Reyes, M. (2021). Cyberbullying Victimization as a Predictor of Depressive Symptoms among Selected Adolescents amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia, 25(2), 145-152. https://doi.org/10.7454/hubs.asia.2161121