Traditional and cyberbullying victimization and adverse mental and behavioural outcomes among school adolescents from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Abstract

Exposure to traditional (offline) and cyber (online) bullying among adolescents is a major public health problem globally. However, little is known about traditional and cyberbullying victimization in relation to adverse mental and behavioral outcomes among in-school adolescents in the Caribbean, which prompted the study. Data from 1,877 adolescents (mean age: 15.4 years, SD = 1.4) that participated in a cross-sectional national school survey in 2018 in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines were analyzed. Students responded in a classroom setting to self-administered questions on traditional and cyberbullying victimization, as well as adverse mental and behavioral outcomes. Indicate that 20.5% of students reported traditional bullying victimization only, 5.8% cyberbullying only and 9.8% combined traditional and cyberbullying victimization in the past 12 months. Combined traditional and cyberbullying victimization had the highest odds, and traditional bullying victimization only and cyberbullying victimization only had both the second highest odds of 10 adverse mental health outcomes (loneliness, anxiety, suicidal ideation, suicide plan, suicide attempt, current cigarette smoking, current other tobacco use, ever drunk, trouble from drinking, and/or current cannabis use) and combined traditional and cyberbullying victimization had the highest odds, cyberbullying victimization only had the second highest odds and traditional bullying victimization only the third highest odds of eight adverse behavioral outcomes (school truancy, physically attacked, in a physical fight, injury, ever sex, multiple sexual partners, non-condom use and/or leisure-time sedentary behavior). Combined traditional and cyberbullying victimization, followed by cyberbullying victimization only and traditional bullying victimization only increased the odds of adverse mental health and behavioral outcomes.