A Cross-Sectional Study of the Burden, Pattern and Self-Reported Health Effects of Cyberbullying Among Undergraduates of a Public University in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Cyberbullying is persistent deliberate harm, inflicted within a power imbalance between victim and perpetrator, with the hostility conveyed through electronic media. It is a serious global public health issue, exacerbated by advancing technologies and the expanding digital environment. This study determined the prevalence, pattern and self-reported health effects of cyberbullying among university students of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 384 university students of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, using an adapted, pretested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire to collect the data. Multistage sampling methods was used to select the participants. All data collected were analyzed using Statistical package for social science software version 25. Data were summarised using descriptive statistics, and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for prevalence estimates. In the preceding three months, 9.6% (95% CI 7.1-13.0) of respondents had perpetrated and 28.9% (95% CI 24.6-33.6) had experienced cyberbullying. The commonest forms among perpetrators (n=37) and victims (n=111) were hurtful or insulting remarks (59.5% and 64.9%) and exclusion from an online group (51.4% and 61.3%); relationship-related abuse or sexual solicitation was reported by 52.3% of victims but only 10.8% of perpetrators. Perpetrators most often used chat platforms such as WhatsApp and Snapchat (73.0%) and phone calls (43.2%), whereas victims most often reported text messages and chat platforms (46.8% each). Among victims, the most frequently reported symptoms were feeling tense, anxious or nervous (38.7%), feeling sad (36.9%) and little appetite (33.3%); stomach ache (18.0%) was least reported. In conclusion, almost three in ten undergraduates reported being cyberbullied, and about one in ten reported perpetrating cyberbullying, in the preceding three months. Hurtful remarks and online exclusion predominated, mostly through chat platforms, text messages and phone calls. Victims commonly reported tension or anxiety, sadness and loss of appetite, although causality cannot be inferred from this cross-sectional design. Campus-based awareness and health promotion programmes, institutional reporting policies and counselling support targeted at these forms and media are recommended.