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. 2023 Nov 15;13(11):e072801.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072801.

Prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation and its association with family dysfunction, health behaviour and psychological distress among young adults in urban Selangor, Malaysia: a cross-sectional study

Ely Zarina Samsudin  1 , Siti Sara Yaacob  2 , Chen Xin Wee  1 , Aimi Nadira Mat Ruzlin  1 , Meram Azzani  1 , Ahmad Taufik Jamil  1 , Kamarulzaman Muzaini  1 , Khalid Ibrahim  1 , Leny Suzana Suddin  1 , Mohamad Ikhsan Selamat  1 , Mohd Shahril Ahmad Saman  1 , Nik Nairan Abdullah  1 , Nurhuda Ismail  1 , Siti Munira Yasin  1 , Zahir Izuan Azhar  1 , Zaliha Ismail  1 , Mohamad Rodi Isa  1 , Mariam Mohamad  1
Affiliations

Prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation and its association with family dysfunction, health behaviour and psychological distress among young adults in urban Selangor, Malaysia: a cross-sectional study

Ely Zarina Samsudin et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Background: Cyberbullying is a growing public health concern with clear, negative impacts on the mental, physical and social health of targeted victims. Previous research on cyberbullying has largely focused on examining its occurrence among children and adolescents. The present study aims to examine the prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation and its association with family dysfunction, health behaviour and psychological distress among young adults in Selangor, Malaysia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a locality within Selangor, sampling a total of 1449 young adults. The Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey was used to measure cyberbullying victimisation. The Family APGAR scale, General Health Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and single-item measures were used to assess family dysfunction, psychological distress and health behaviour, respectively.

Results: The 1-month prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation among young adults was 2.4%. The most common cyberbullying act experienced was mean or hurtful comments about participants online (51.7%), whereas the most common online environment for cyberbullying to occur was social media (45.8%). Male participants (adjusted OR (AOR)=3.60, 95% CI=1.58 to 8.23) had at least three times the odds of being cyberbullied compared with female participants. Meanwhile, participants with higher levels of psychological distress had increased probability of being cyberbullied compared with their peers (AOR=1.13, 95% CI=1.05 to 1.21).

Conclusions: As evident from this study, cyberbullying victimisation prevails among young adults and is significantly related to gender and psychological distress. Given its devastating effects on targeted victims, a multipronged and collaborative approach is warranted to reduce incidences of cyberbullying and safeguard the health and well-being of young adults.

Keywords: occupational & industrial medicine; psychiatry; public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

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