Paruk Mahomed E, Nassen Rene
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
S Afr J Psychiatr. 2022 Mar 31;28:1755. doi: 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v28i0.1755. eCollection 2022.
Cyberbullying is a type of harassment that is perpetrated or experienced by a person or groups of persons via the use of electronic devices, and it frequently occurs amongst young people. Research has shown that cyberbullying is associated with psychiatric comorbidity, which could indicate a need for screening adolescents who present for mental health services.
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cyberbullying amongst adolescents. The secondary aim was to determine the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 psychiatric diagnoses associated with cyberbullying.
Lentegeur Hospital Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in the Western Cape, South Africa.
This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 97 participants (sampled from both inpatient and outpatient services) between the ages of 13 years and 18 years. Adolescent assent and parental consent were obtained. Demographic and clinical data were collected from patient folders, and the Revised Cyber Bullying Inventory II was used to assess cyberbullying behaviours.
The overall prevalence rate of some form of cyberbullying in this sample was 56.7%, of which 6.2% were cyberbullies, 20.6% were cyber-victims and 29.9% were cyberbullies and cyber-victims. Female participants were more likely to be involved in cyberbullying than males. The most prevalent primary psychiatric diagnoses in adolescents involved in cyberbullying included major depressive disorder (72.4%), schizophrenia (57.1%) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (22%). There was no significant association between cyberbullying and any psychiatric diagnoses.
The high prevalence rate of adolescents involved in cyberbullying suggests that this behaviour is a cause for concern in the South African population. More screening and treatment programmes should be implemented to address this issue.
网络欺凌是一种骚扰行为，由个人或群体通过电子设备实施或经历，且经常发生在年轻人当中。研究表明，网络欺凌与精神疾病共病有关，这可能表明需要对寻求心理健康服务的青少年进行筛查。
本研究旨在确定青少年中网络欺凌的患病率。次要目的是确定与网络欺凌相关的《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》（DSM）-5精神疾病诊断。
南非西开普省伦特格医院儿童和青少年心理健康服务中心。
这项横断面研究纳入了97名年龄在13岁至18岁之间的便利样本参与者（从住院和门诊服务中抽取）。获得了青少年的同意和家长的同意。从患者病历中收集人口统计学和临床数据，并使用修订后的网络欺凌量表II评估网络欺凌行为。
该样本中某种形式的网络欺凌的总体患病率为56.7%，其中6.2%是网络欺凌者，20.6%是网络受害者，29.9%既是网络欺凌者又是网络受害者。女性参与者比男性更有可能参与网络欺凌。参与网络欺凌的青少年中最常见的主要精神疾病诊断包括重度抑郁症（72.4%）、精神分裂症（57.1%）和注意力缺陷多动障碍（22%）。网络欺凌与任何精神疾病诊断之间均无显著关联。
参与网络欺凌的青少年患病率很高，这表明这种行为在南非人群中令人担忧。应实施更多的筛查和治疗方案来解决这一问题。
