Cyberbullying and its influence on social adjustment, self-concept, and anxiety among students in Anambra State

Cyberbullying refers to aggressive behaviors that occur online, intending to hurt, especially where there is an imbalance of power in the relationship. Continuous online harassment can lead to severe emotional distress, reinforcing feelings of inadequacy and social fear, creating a vicious cycle of negative self-perception and increased anxiety. The study determined the relationship of cyberbullying with social anxiety, self-concept, and mental health of undergraduate students in a public university in Anambra State. We adopted a correlational research design. We selected 360 undergraduates under the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The data were collected using four instruments: the Cyberbullying Questionnaire (CbQ), Mental Health Questionnaire (MHQ), Social Anxiety Questionnaire (SAQ), and Self-Concept Questionnaire (SCQ). The data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation and simple linear regression. The findings indicated a significant relationship prevails between cyberbullying and university students' mental health, social anxiety, and self-concept. Based on the study's findings, it was suggested that students should be exposed to social media literacy education to reduce cyber victimization and guard against it.