Teens warn of 'no escape' from cyberbullying - report
Victims of cyberbullying can become consumed by spiralling negative thoughts and can feel there is "no escape" from it, according to new research based on the views of young people here.
Worryingly, the study also found that some participants perceived suicide as a viable escape route for young victims defeated and entrapped by cybervictimisation and their own negative thoughts and that better interventions were needed in schools and at home to ensure those affected get the help they need.
The research, entitled The Psychosocial Impacts of Cybervictimisation and Barriers to Seeking Social Support: Young People’s Perspectives, was led by Rebecca Dennehy of the School of Public Health at University College Cork and one of the co-authors is Dr Ella Arensman of the National Suicide Research Foundation.
Funded by the Health Research Board, it is based on the views of 64 young people aged 14 to 17, more than half of whom were female, across four secondary schools in one Irish town.
According to the research; "A majority of participants perceived that while victims of traditional bullying can choose to avoid perpetrators, find some respite in their homes after school, or even move school if necessary, the omnipresence of cyber technology in young people’s lives means that victims of cyberbullying are exposed to relentless and invasive victimisation with, they believe, no means of 'escape'.
"Some participants described cyberbullying as an 'extension of traditional bullying' with cyber technology allowing perpetrators to access victims even after the school day and that for victims it feels like their abuser is always with them leaving them with 'no safe place to go'."
"Motivated by a fear of missing out on peer interactions", young people use smartphones “constantly” to engage with peers through social media applications such as Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, according to the study.
"They indicated that although young people carry their phones with them at all times social media is mostly used at home in the evenings where there is free access to Wi-Fi and little restriction on phone use. They revealed that it is in this context, at 'home', at 'night', and when 'alone' in the 'dark' that young people are most vulnerable to cyberbullying," it said.
"Analysis indicated that young people exposed to cybervictimisation are considered to be consumed by thoughts of their victimisation," or "overthinking", it said, with those affected being “'taunt[ed]'” by negative thoughts long after the cessation of cyberbullying, as perpetrators words and actions remain 'stuck in [their] heads'."
"It was believed that perpetrators post ambiguous comments on social media with the intention of hurting a certain individual while evading accountability," it said, with victims left analysing to decipher whether disparaging messages were in fact directed at them.
"The public nature of social media content serves to increase the humiliation experienced by victims and fuel negative thoughts," it said.
Participants believed that “omnipresent” cyberbullying and incessant overthinking can generate a deepening “depression” in victims until it becomes “too much” for them to cope with. Alarmingly, "Some participants believed that victims used suicide as a way to express to others the 'pain' they had experienced as a result of cyberbullying and to convey the damage that their perpetrators had caused.
"On the other hand, a small minority of male participants, aged 17, perceived that youth suicide is often incorrectly attributed to cyberbullying," it said.
Participants also said it was "not that easy" to access help and that doing so could be perceived by others as a sign of weakness". There was also a "lack of confidence in parents’ ability to provide appropriate support to victims", particularly as they had not grown up with the experience of cyber technology, while some referred to "inappropriate school intervention". Some claimed schools ignored important issues such as “sex education, mental health, and cyberbullying”.
"Findings from this study suggest that schools are not meeting young people’s needs with regard to cyberbullying and mental health, highlighting instead inappropriate and ineffective cyberbullying intervention efforts," it said. "There is a need for school-based interventions which improve young people’s coping skills and reduce feelings of entrapment. Interventions should focus on the removal of barriers which prevent young people from engaging in help-seeking behaviours. The young people involved in this study expressed a need for mental health education, specifically, to learn more effective ways of coping with distress."
"Interventions should also be targeted at potential support networks particularly peers, parents, and school staff to foster an environment that encourages help-seeking and to ensure appropriate and effective responses to disclosures of cyberbullying."
Ms Dennehy said: "It is important to stress that most victims of bullying do not engage in suicidal behaviour and it is unlikely that cyberbullying alone leads to suicide, however, the potential harm to young people calls for action in research, policy and practice."
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