Citation

Farrington DP, Zych I, Ttofi MM, Gaffney H. Aggress. Violent Behav. 2023; 69: e101811.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.avb.2022.101811

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article presents a systematic review of Canadian empirical research on cyberbullying, summarizing results on a wide range of topics, including prevalence, risk and protective factors, and consequences, derived from the first 100 high-quality empirical reports on this topic. Most Canadian studies used self-reports to measure cyberbullying. Prevalence rates varied greatly depending on the way in which cyberbullying was measured. When cyberbullying was measured using only one or two items, the prevalence of cyberperpetration was around 6 %-10 %, and of cybervictimization was around 10 %-18 %. With multiple-item questionnaires, the prevalence of cyberperpetration was around 24 %-26 %, and of cybervictimization was around 38 %-48 %. Cyberbullying was significantly related to face-to-face bullying. Risk factors for cyberbullying included time spent online, having few friends, and poor parental education. Consequences of cyberbullying included anxiety, depression, drug use, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and low academic performance. Girls were cybervictimized more than boys, and cybervictimization was more prevalent in ethnic minority groups. New studies are recommended, including a large-scale national survey with representative samples and validated questionnaires; a longitudinal study to discover predictors and consequences of cyberbullying; and a project to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions against cyberbullying.

Language: en

Keywords

Canada; Consequences; Cyberbullying; Prevalence; Risk factors