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Cyberbullying linked to increased levels of depression among female college students

By Raif Karerat

More than 1 in 4 women have experienced cyberbullying in college, increasing the risk for clinical depression, reports a new study published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. The study also found that female college students who acted as cyberbullies were more likely to report problem alcohol use.

The article, titled, “Cyberbullying, Depression, and Problem Alcohol Use in Female College Students: A Multisite Study,” explores the relationship between involvement in cyberbullying as either the person doing the cyberbullying or being bullied — and how it affects depression and alcohol use.

 “When counseling college students, inquiring about cyberbullying during intake assessments may help clinicians uncover stressors to be targeted during treatment,” says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.

The article was authored by Indian American researcher Rajitha Kota, MPH, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Ellen Selkie, MD, MPH and Ya-Fen Chan, PhD University of Washington, Seattle, and Megan Morena, MD, MSEd, MPH, Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

The Pew Research Center reports 32 percent of all teenagers who use the internet say they have been targeted by a range of “annoying” or potentially menacing online activities such as receiving threatening messages; having their private emails or text messages forwarded without consent; having an embarrassing picture posted without permission; or having rumors about them spread online.

The institute also deduced girls are more likely than boys to say that they have ever experienced cyberbullying – 38 percent of online girls report being bullied, compared with 26 percent of online boys. Older girls in particular are more likely to report being bullied than any other age and gender group, with 41 percent of online girls ages 15 to 17 reporting these experiences.