The Relationship of Cyber Bullying and Victimization with Anxiety and Depression Risk in High School Students

In this research, it was intended to find out the frequency of cyber bullying and cyber victimization experienced by students who are attending different schools in a city center and to investigate the relationship between these situations and anxiety and risk of depression. The research population consisted of 460 students studying at Anatolian High School, Private High School, and Imam Hatip High School. This cross-sectional, analytical study included 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade voluntary students. Data collected via questionnaire consisted of three parts: socio-demographic information form, the cyber bullying scale (CBS) and the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). The daily internet usage time of the participants were found to be 4.07±3.77 hours. Fifty-eight point seven percent (n=270) of the students were victims while 24.5% (n=112) of them were both bully and victims. The cyber victimization score of male students was found to be 24.1±9.6. The mean anxiety and depression scores of the students were 9.6 ± 4.3 and 7.2 ±3.9 respectively, and difference was significant between cyber victims and those who are neither bully nor victims (p<0.001). Anxiety and depression risk were positively correlated to cyber victimization score. The results of this study reveal that cyber bullying and victimization in young people are quite high. The relationship between cyber bullying, cyber victimization and anxiety and depression poses a significant threat for adolescents.