Date of Paper

5-2016

Type of Paper

Clinical research paper

Degree Name

Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)

Department

Social Work

First Advisor

Melissa Lundquist

Department/School

Social Work

Abstract

Cyberbullying is becoming a major concern surrounding the adolescent population because of the increased use in the internet and social networking sites. Studies show that cyberbullying can cause mental health concerns in adolescents who have been victimized, leaving them feeling lonely, depressed, and rejected. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of high school students who have been victimized by cyberbullying and to explore the relationship between cyberbully victimization and suicide. An anonymous mixed methods study was utilized and formatted with both quantitative and qualitative questions. The survey was distributed by email to students enrolled in the Bachelors of Social Work program at the University of St. Thomas and St. Catherine University and asked respondents specific questions in regards to their personal experience being victimized by cyberbullying and the impacts it had on them. The results were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics and independent t-test and analyzed qualitatively using a content analysis approach. Results indicated that high school students who were victimized by cyberbullying experienced negative emotional impacts including feeling sad, helpless and hopeless, frustrated, and low self-esteem. The results of this study did not find a significant relationship between cyberbully victimization and suicide but did find that respondents reported feeling suicidal in the open-ended responses. Results from this study were consistent with pre-existing literature.

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