Examination of Exposure Levels to Cyberbullying and Emotional Abuse Among Students Studying in Health Sciences–Related Fields

Purpose: This study examined with the aim of examining the levels of exposure to cyberbullying and emotional abuse among students in health sciences–related fields.Material and Methods: The sample for this cross-sectional study comprised 590 students enrolled in the departments of Midwifery (n = 200), Nursing (n = 144), Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation (n = 128), and Health Management (n = 118) at a Faculty of Health Sciences of a university. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the Revised Cyber Bullying Inventory–II (RCBI-II), and the Emotional Abuse Exposure Scale (EAES).Results: 41.9% of students reported witnessing cyberbullying at least once, while 36.1% reported being exposed at least once. Among exposed students cyberbullying, 27.3% indicated that cyberbullying occurred through social networking sites, and 53.9% reported awareness of emotional abuse. The mean RCBI-II scores were 13.92 ± 5.93 for cyber victimization and 12.47 ± 4.83 for cyberbullying, whereas the total EAES mean score was 54.27 ± 26.78. A statistically significant moderate positive correlation was identified between RCBI-II (cyber victimization and cyberbullying) scores and total EAES scores (p < 0.001).Conclusion: The findings indicate that students experience higher levels of cyber victimization and moderate levels of emotional abuse. As cyber victimization and cyberbullying levels increase, exposure to emotional abuse increases. Students in the midwifery department were found to experience lower levels of cyber victimization, to engage less frequently in cyberbullying behaviors, and to be exposed to lower levels of emotional abuse overall.