3. The impact of online violence incidents on the mental health of college students

Abstract Background As an emerging information media, the Internet is uncontrollable in many aspects such as information dissemination and speech supervision. Therefore, in online social interaction, incidents such as sensitive vocabulary, verbal violence, and false information occur frequently. And online violence has gradually become an important triggering factor for a series of mental illnesses such as depression. The phenomenon of online violence is directly related to the psychological changes of victims. After being maliciously defamed, victims often experience immense pressure and anxiety, which affects their daily life and physical and mental health. Therefore, the study analyzes the specific impact of online violence incidents on the mental health of college students. The purpose of the study is to explore targeted intervention recommendations to alleviate the negative impact of online violence on the mental health of victims. Methods Conduct a questionnaire survey among students from three universities in a certain city. Firstly, the study used the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) to investigate the psychological state of college students who have experienced online violence. At the same time, a self-made survey questionnaire related to online violence was used to analyze the influencing factors of college students' online violence behavior. After obtaining the survey results, the study used SPSS 24.0 software for data statistical analysis. Results The experimental results showed that the somatization statistics of college students who suffered from online violence were 1.50 ± 0.52, while the somatization statistics of college students who did not suffer from online violence were 1.34 ± 0.45, and the difference was significant (p<.001). In addition, the average evaluations of depression and anxiety among college students who have experienced online violence are 1.95 ± 0.58 and 1.67 ± 0.59, respectively. The average evaluations of depression and anxiety among college students who did not experience online violence were 1.57 ± 0.61 and 1.42 ± 0.43, respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (p<.001). The experimental results showed that, except for interpersonal relationships and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, the SCL-90 scores of the sample college students who suffered from online violence were higher than those who did not suffer from online violence. Therefore, online violence can trigger anxiety and depression in victims, which can have a significant negative impact on their mental health. Discussion Research findings indicate that online violence has a significant negative impact on the mental health of college students. Online violence not only increases students' anxiety and depression, but also damages their self-esteem and self-efficacy. In order to alleviate the negative impact of online violence on mental health, research suggests that universities and related institutions need to provide psychological support services, strengthen online literacy education, and enhance college students' ability to identify and respond to online violence. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen the supervision and punishment of online violence, and create a healthier and more positive online environment. Future research will explore and analyze the role of current policies and regulations in reducing online violence and protecting victims.