Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

The Relationships Between Year of Study, Cyberbully Victimisation, and Loneliness Among Undergraduates

Chikwendu, Chimezie Emmanuel

Abstract

This study examined the relationships Between year of study, cyberbully victimisation, and loneliness among undergraduates, guided by Glasser's Choice Theory (1999). Participants were 394 students (178 females, 116 males), aged 19-23 years (M=27.28, SD=11.666), drawn through multi-stage availability and purposive sampling from higher institutions in Nigeria. Data were collected using the Cyberbullying Questionnaire (Calvete et al., 2010), the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell et al., 1978), and demographic information. A correlational design was adopted, and data were analysed using Pearson's correlation in SPSS 27. Results showed that year of study strongly predicted lower cyberbully victimisation, while loneliness did not significantly relate to victimisation. Findings highlight the need for early-year interventions promoting belonging and digital safety.

Keywords

lonelinessyears of studycyberbullying victimisationundergraduate students

References

Alhajji, M., Bass, S. B., & Dai, T. (2019). Cyberbullying among adolescents and its association with depression. Journal of School Health, 89(9), 712-718. Bhagchandani, R. K. (2017). Effect of loneliness on social networking addiction among college students. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management, 4(1), 1-5. Böke, B. N., Mills, D. J., Mettler, J., & Heath, N. L. (2019). The relationship between loneliness, social anxiety, and problematic smartphone use. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 51(2), 116-124. Buelens, E., Van den Eijnden, R., & Van den Bulck, J. (2020). Social media use and loneliness among adolescents: The role of online social support. Journal of Adolescence, 80, 1-11. Cacioppo, S., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2018). Loneliness in the modern age: An evolutionary theory of loneliness (ETL). Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 58, 127-197. Calvete, E., Orue, I., Estévez, A., Villardón, L., & Padilla, P. (2010). Cyberbullying in adolescents: Modalities and aggressors' profile. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(5), 1128-1135. Camerini, A. L., Marciano, L., & Schulz, P. J. (2020). Cyberbullying perpetration and victimization among children and adolescents: A systematic review. Telematics and Informatics, 49, 101362. Cañas, E., Estévez, E., Martínez-Monteagudo, M. C., & Delgado, B. (2020). Loneliness, depression, and cyberbullying victimization in adolescents. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(1), 1-12. Cherry, K. (2021). Loneliness: Causes, effects, and treatments. Verywell Mind. Chu, X. W., Fan, C. Y., Liu, Q. Q., & Zhou, Z. K. (2019). Cyberbullying victimization and loneliness among adolescents: The mediating role of social anxiety. Psychiatry Research, 271, 187-193. Ellard, K. K., et al. (2022). Loneliness and mental health in university students: A systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders, 306, 1-12. Erzen, E., & Çikrikci, Ö. (2021). The effect of loneliness on depression: A meta-analysis. Current Psychology, 40, 1613-1623. Extremera, N., Quintana-Orts, C., Mérida-López, S., & Rey, L. (2018). Cyberbullying victimization, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation in adolescence: Does emotional intelligence play a buffering role? Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 367. Fan, C. Y., Chu, X. W., Zhang, M., & Zhou, Z. K. (2019). Cyberbullying victimization, self-esteem, and suicidal ideation in adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 72, 1-9. Gardella, J. H., Fisher, B. W., & Teurbe-Tolon, A. R. (2017). A systematic review of cyberbullying research in Latin America. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 37, 52-60. Glasser, W. (1999). Choice theory: A new psychology of personal freedom. HarperCollins. Han, Z., Wang, Y., & Yan, J. (2021). Cyberbullying victimization and its association with loneliness among adolescents: A meta-analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 121, 105873. Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2010). Loneliness matters: A theoretical and empirical review. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 40(2), 218-227. Hou, Y., Xiong, D., Jiang, T., Song, L., & Wang, Q. (2022). Loneliness and problematic smartphone use among Chinese college students. Computers in Human Behavior, 135, 107367. Hu, Y., et al. (2023). Problematic smartphone use and loneliness among university students: A systematic review. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 12(1), 1-15. John, A., et al. (2018). Self-harm, suicidal behaviours, and cyberbullying in children and young people: Systematic review. BMJ, 362, k3229. Marin-Cortés, A., et al. (2021). Cyberbullying victimization and emotional distress in university students. Computers in Human Behavior, 122, 106841. Martinez-Monteagudo, M. C., Delgado, B., Inglés, C. J., & García-Fernández, J. M. (2020). Cyberbullying and psychological distress in adolescence. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 13, 683-692. Nazir, M., & Ousman, S. (2023). Loneliness and mental health among university students: A cross-sectional study. BMC Psychology, 11, 45. Nixon, C. L. (2014). Current perspectives: The impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health. Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, 5, 143-158. Peplau, L. A., & Perlman, D. (1982). Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research, and therapy. Wiley. Russell, D., Peplau, L. A., & Cutrona, C. E. (1980). The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: Concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(3), 472-480. Russell, D., Peplau, L. A., & Ferguson, M. L. (1978). Developing a measure of loneliness. Journal of Personality Assessment, 42(3), 290-294. Sanchez, J., et al. (2017). Cyberbullying and substance use among adolescents: A systematic review. Addictive Behaviors, 74, 74-82. Strohmeier, D., & Gradinger, P. (2022). Cyberbullying and social adjustment in adolescence. Journal of Early Adolescence, 42(1), 5-28. Wigan & Leigh College. (2023). Cyberbullying: Types and prevention. Wigan & Leigh College Press. Wolke, D., & Lereya, S. T. (2015). Long-term effects of bullying. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 100(9), 879-885. Yanguas, J., Pinazo-Hernandis, S., & Tarazona-Santabalbina, F. J. (2018). The complexity of loneliness. Aging & Mental Health, 22(7), 852-859. Zahedi, L., et al. (2022). Loneliness and social adjustment among university students: A cross-cultural study. Journal of Community Psychology, 50(3), 1300-1315.

More Articles from JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL POLICY