HomeLifestyleHealth & FitnessCyberbullying Could Actually Reshape The Brains of Early Adolescence, New Evidence

Cyberbullying Could Actually Reshape The Brains of Early Adolescence, New Evidence

Published on

New research from the Lifespan Brain Institute (LiBI) of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania shows that young adolescents who are the targets of cyberbullying are more likely to report suicidal thoughts and attempts. This link goes beyond the link between suicidality and traditional offline bullying. The results were released in JAMA Network Open today.

“At a time when young adolescents are spending more time online than ever before,” said senior author Ran Barzilay, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at LiBI, “this study underscores the negative impact that bullying in the virtual space can have on its targets.”  Given these findings, it could be wise for primary care doctors to frequently test for cyberbullying in the same way they might screen for other conditions that increase the risk of suicide, such depression. Parents and educators should be aware of the severe stress that bullying in the online community causes for young teenagers.

The rates of youth suicide have been on the rise for some time. The CDC reports that among people aged 10 to 24 in 2018, suicide was the second-leading cause of death. Research has revealed that environmental stresses play a role in the development of suicidality in children and adolescents, but the precise nature of this role remains unclear. One of the most well-known risk factors for teen suicide is exposure to bullying or victimization by peers.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of peer interaction, including bullying, happens online, through text messages or social media platforms. However, it was unclear before this study if being the victim of cyberbullying is a standalone risk factor for suicidality.

Researchers worked with Anat Brunstein Klomek, PhD, at the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology at Reichman University in Israel to find out if cyberbullying is different from other things that make young teens think about suicide. Together, the researchers examined data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (ABCD Study), which followed over 10,000 US kids between the ages of 10 and 13 between July 2018 and January 2021.

A cyberbullying questionnaire was given to participants as part of the ABCD Study, and it asked if they had ever engaged in or been the victim of cyberbullying, which is defined as “purposefully trying to harm another person or be mean to them online, in texts or group texts, or on social media (like Instagram or Snapchat).” For offline bullying, a separate questionnaire was used to look at three types of behavior: overt aggression, like threatening or hitting someone; relational aggression, like not inviting someone or leaving them out; and reputational aggression, like spreading rumors or gossiping.

The researchers looked at whether subjects reported having had suicide thoughts or behaviors in the past or present to evaluate suicidality.

Out of the 10,414 people who took part in the ABCD Study, 7.6% said they had thought about or tried to kill themselves, 8.9% said they had been the target of cyberbullying, and 0.9% said they had cyberbullied others. The researchers found that being the victim of cyberbullying was linked to suicidal thoughts, but that being the bully was not. That result was different from traditional offline bullying, in which being the victim or the bully is associated with suicidality.

The researchers also discovered that being bullied online and offline only partially overlapped, supporting the idea that cyberbullying is a separate phenomenon from experiences of bullying offline. This may imply that adolescents who experience cyberbullying vary from those who experience physical bullying.

According to Dr. Barzilay’s research, being the victim of cyberbullying is a distinct risk factor for young people considering suicide.

“For policy makers wishing to optimize youth suicide prevention efforts, this study should further encourage interventions for those who are being bullied online.”

Image Credit: Getty

You were reading: Cyberbullying Could Actually Reshape The Brains of Early Adolescence, New Evidence

Latest articles

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...

Science Shock: Salmon’s Food Choices Better at Reducing Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

Salmon: Rich in Health Benefits, Yet May Offer Less Nutritional Value - This is...

More like this

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...