Cyberbullying Victimisation as a Mediator Between Social Media Use and Emotional Problems Among Elementary School Students

TL;DR

This study explores how social media use and cyberbullying affect emotional problems in elementary school students, finding that cyberbullying mediates the relationship.

Contribution

The study reveals that cyberbullying victimisation fully mediates the link between active social media use and emotional problems in both genders.

Findings

Passive social media use is directly linked to anxiety in boys and depression in girls.

Cyberbullying victimisation fully mediates the relationship between active social media use and emotional problems for both genders.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Adolescence is a developmental period characterised by intensive use of social media and an increased prevalence of emotional problems such as depression and anxiety. Scientific evidence indicates that the modality of social media use (active or passive) can significantly predict these problems, with active use being linked to a higher likelihood of cyberbullying victimisation. As victimisation is associated with more severe emotional problems, social media represents an important context for understanding adolescent mental health. Following this, the main aim of this study was to examine how the modality of social media use (SMU) is related to emotional problems, and whether cyberbullying victimisation mediates this relationship. Methods: This study was conducted on a convenient sample of N = 1822 students (49.0% boys, 51.0% girls; Mage = 13.22 years, SDage = 0.629) from a total of 64 elementary schools throughout Croatia. A modified Croatian version of the Active and Passive Use of Social Networks Scale, the Anxiety and Depression subscales of the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale—Youth Version, and the Cyber-Victimisation subscale of the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire were used. Results: The results indicate that passive SMU among boys is directly related only to anxiety, while that among girls contributes only to the explanation of depression. Regarding cyberbullying victimisation as a mediator, full mediation in the association between active SMU and emotional problems was found for both girls and boys. Conclusions: This represents a significant theoretical contribution, as well as a contribution to the development of psychosocial interventions.

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