Social Media, Cyberbullying, and Psychological Adjustment in Disability Contexts

Social media influences identity and belonging, yet research on the psychological adjustment of students with disabilities in Nigerian tertiary institutions remains limited. This study investigated associations between social media use (frequency, perceived online social support, cyber-victimization) and psychological adjustment (self-esteem, loneliness, emotional well-being) among students with disabilities in the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed with a stratified random sample of N = 200 students with documented disabilities. Standardized measures included the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, ULS-8, WHO-5, Online Social Support Scale, and a validated cyber-victimization index. Data were collected in accessible formats and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, hierarchical regression, and structural equation modelling; reliability was confirmed via McDonald’s ω. Results showed that higher frequency of social media use predicted greater loneliness (β = 0.21, p < .05), lower self-esteem (β = –0.19, p < .05), and reduced well-being (β = –0.16, p < .05). Perceived online social support strongly predicted belonging (β = 0.57, ΔR² = 0.32, p < .001) and indirectly enhanced well-being through belonging (indirect β = 0.18, p < .01). Cyber-victimization emerged as the most consistent adverse predictor of psychological distress, explaining ΔR² ≈ 0.14 (p < .001) in models for WHO-5 and loneliness, with standardized effects of β = –0.38 (well-being) and β = 0.41 (loneliness), both medium-to-large effects. Subgroup analyses revealed disability-sensitive vulnerabilities: hearing-impaired students (n = 47) reported higher cyber-victimization (M = 8.2 vs. 4.8) and loneliness (M = 19.1 vs. 16.1), with a stronger cyber-victimization–loneliness link (interaction β = 0.12, p = .04); learning-disabled students (n = 35) exhibited elevated loneliness (M = 20.4) and a stronger positive association between social media frequency and loneliness (β ≈ 0.31, p = .02). Findings indicate that quality of online interactions—support versus stigma—matters more than duration of use. Institutions should prioritize disability-sensitive digital support, implement targeted anti-harassment interventions for hearing-impaired and learning-disabled students, and foster structured peer support networks.