Citation

Chang Q, Xing J, Chang R, Ip P, Yee-Tak Fong D, Fan S, Ho RTH, Yip PSF. Psychiatry Res. Commun. 2021; 1(2): e100003.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psycom.2021.100003

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Despite the increasing use of electronic devices, the associations between specific online involvement, such as online sexual exposure and cyberbullying victimization, and suicide risk are under-explored among young people. This study examines whether online sexual exposure and cyberbullying victimization are associated with suicide ideation among Hong Kong adolescents and whether gender and sexual orientation influence the associations. Online sexual exposure was categorized as online sexual talk and online sexual dating. A hierarchical regression analysis was employed to examine the relationships between the two types of online sexual exposure and cyberbullying victimization and suicide ideation, as well as the moderating roles of gender and sexual orientation on the relationships. Among the 3772 participants, adolescents with experiences of sexual talk online, sexual dating online, and cyberbullying victimization had 1.34-, 1.28-, and 2.16-times higher odds to have suicide ideation than their counterparts, respectively. There were significant gender differences in the association between cyberbullying victimization and suicide ideation, stronger in girls (p ​< ​0.05). The associations between sexual talk online and suicide ideation and between cyberbullying victimization and suicide ideation differed across sexual orientation (p ​< ​0.05). Our findings suggest reducing online sexual exposure and cyberbullying victimization and considering gender and sexual orientation differences to minimize adolescent suicide.

Language: en

Keywords

Cyberbullying victimization; Hong Kong adolescents; Online sexual exposure; Sexual orientation; Suicide ideation