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Bridget A. Beresford

Professor William Lennertz

English 101

25 May 2016

Cyberbullying: Long-Term Effects and Coping Strategies

Cyberbullying, or as some call it, ​“social terror by technology,”​​ has become a huge

problem in the last twenty years with the growth of the digital age (Kowalski et al 56).

Cyberbullying is defined as, “bullying through e-mail, instant messaging (IM), in a chat room, on

a Web site, on an online gaming site, or through digital messages sent to a cellular phone (

Kowalski et al 1). In ​Shame Sells, ​author Monica Lewinsky tells of how she “was patient zero of

losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously. around the world, this story

went. A viral phenomenon” (Lewinsky 292). She was cyberbullied before there was even

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, before there had ever been an incident of cyberbullying. There

is a lot of research around both sides of cyberbullying, the victim and the perpetrator, but what is

lacking is the same amount of research on the long term effects for the victim, and what, if

anything, can be done to lessen these effects. Recently, victims like Monica Lewinsky have

shared their stories in an effort to help others cope with the aftermath of this new form of

bullying. The long term effects of cyberbullying from childhood through young adult years can

include ​major depression, poor school performance, suicidal ideation and suicide itself, and

a lack of self-confidence and close relationships​​, however with well placed​ coping strategies,

these effects can be ​diminished.

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Cyberbullying is a form of victimization and can lead to major depression especially

when the attacks are ongoing. Research shows that, “there may be more reason to worry about

the psychological states of children who are ostracized by peers (“They pretend they don’t see

me”) than children who are physically bullied (“They hit me”) ( Kowalski et al. 34). The more a

victim is ostracized, the higher the odds are for them to feel depressed. In addition, indirect

bullying has the potential to cause greater psychological damage because it is not face to face,

and the bully can hide behind a false identity. The results of online bullying can potentially lead

someone into a downward spiral, but often times both victims and cyberbullies have an increased

risk for depression. A study performed by Selkie, Kota, Chan, and Moreno for Cyberpsychology,

Behavior, and Social Networking shows an “association between cyberbullying and depression”

among both the cyberbully and their victim (​Selkie, et al. 79). The bullies themselves usually

have issues that provoke them to lash out at a peer which can explain why “the odds for

depression were more than four times higher than those with no cyberbullying experience”

(​Selkie et al 82.). This creates a ripple effect because the victim who experiences cyberbullying

had “almost three times the odds of meeting clinical criteria for depression” ​(​Selkie et al. 82).

Cyberbullying and depression is a vicious cycle and can contribute to affecting other areas of an

individual’s life such as poor academic performance.

Individuals who are victims of cyberbullying have a tendency to lose focus in school, thus

resulting in poor school performance. UCLA psychologists conducted a study of 2,300 students

and their research concluded that “a high level of bullying was consistently associated with lower

grades across the three years of middle school” (Wolpert). Students who are bullied tend to

participate less in class, are less motivated to attend school, and this can lead to a lower GPA.
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The UCLA study also found that, “the link between bullying and achievement can work both

ways. The students who are doing poorly are at high risk for getting bullied, and any student who

gets bullied may become a low achiever” (Wolpert). Face to face bullying and internet bullying

can both contribute to a student losing focus in school. In the book, ​Cyberbullying: Causes,

Consequences, and Coping Strategies​, the authors, Nicole Weber and William Pelfrey, include

anecdotes of students who were victims of cyberbullying and how it affected their desire to

attend school. One individual states that he “couldn’t concentrate because [he/she] was thinking

of ways of how [he/she] could get back at them which was not smart” (Weber, Pelfrey 114).

Other students expressed that “cyberbullying made [them] not want to go to school” because the

cyberbully attacks caused drama and distracted them from the main focus of school which is to

learn (Weber, Pelfrey 113). Whether the cyberbullying is the direct or indirect cause of low

academic achievement, research concludes that the two are related.

In this technology centered world, online bullying is becoming more common, therefore

leading to an increase in suicidal acts or thoughts. Cell phones, internet, and constant connection

to social media allow for more communication, and moreover this gives bullies an opportunity to

commit more frequent and harmful attacks. The PsychCentral blog sponsored by the World of

Psychology concluded that a “meta-analysis study demonstrates that peer victimization is a risk

factor for suicide attempts and ideation, especially cyberbullying” (Maldonado). Growing up in

the 21st century brings its own challenges to school aged individuals, however technology

provides more opportunities for bullying to occur. The Archives of Suicide and Research

performed a survey with a random sample of 1,963 middle-schoolers on internet use and

experiences and deduced that “cyberbullying victims were 1.9 times more likely .... to have
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attempted suicide” (Hinduja, Patchin ). Other factors such as depression, self-esteem, and mental

health play a role in suicide and suicide attempts, but Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and the

prevalence of unlimited internet devices has increased “the nature of peer aggression” thus

contributing to cyberbullying (Hinduja, Patchin 2). Hurtful and degrading online posts can be

viewed by hundreds and for a young adolescent this type of humiliation can be devastating to the

point of feeling hopeless, insignificant, and feeling like he/she wants to end his/her life.

Low self-esteem is closely associated with cyberbullying. Research extracted from the

International Academy for Suicide Research shows that cyberbullying contributes to “decreased

self-worth, hopelessness, and loneliness” (Hinduja, Patchin 209). As a result, cyberbullied

students often become withdrawn from social circles because they feel rejected, belittled, or

ostracized.. The Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace identifies that as a result of

cyberbullying victims tend to have “emotional and peer-related problems; and feeling insecure at

school and neglected by teachers” (Sleglova, Cerna). All human beings have a need to feel like

they belong, and are important, and self-worthy, yet cyberbullying can shatter these feelings. The

Cyberbullying Research Center​ “​found that the relationship between cyberbullying victimization

and self-esteem is definitely stronger than that of cyberbullying offending and self-esteem”

(Patchin). Low self-esteem can severely affect many areas of a person’s life whether the low

self-esteem influences a person to bully another, or becoming a victim of cyberbullying then

causes a decrease in self-worth.

Victims of cyberbullying cope differently based on the situation. It is debated whether

teachers are responsible for dealing with online cyber attacks during after school hours, but some

cyberbullied victims seek support from ​friends, teachers, or parents​​. Various coping strategies
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are stated from the Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace and incorporate “technical

coping, activity directed at the aggressor, avoidance, defensive strategies, and social support”

(Sleglova, Cerna 1). An example of technical coping involves blocking the perpetrator’s number

or “communicating with the aggressors from a different account/user name” and this form is the

most frequently used strategy, however it often fails to prevent further bullying (Sleglova, Cerna

8). Directly addressing the aggressor can occur in various ways such as asking the individual to

stop, and or threatening to tell an authority figure if behaviors did not stop. Avoiding stressful

situations in cyberspace includes “not replying; not answering/hanging up the phone; deleting or

temporary disabling of the risky online sources of threats, where cyberbullying took/takes place;

creating an account at another server” (Sleglova, Cerna 9). ​Diversion tactics and defensive

strategies ​can be difficult to use because it involves focusing attention on other things such as

“hobbies…​​ to take their minds off their problems and forget that something bad is happening in

their lives, or it provided them with a way of coping with their fear of the aggressor” (Sleglova,

Cerna 10). Cyberbullied victims will often seek​ social support from friends, teachers or

family ​and the most widely used form involves “confiding and receiving positive feedback and

help” (Sleglova, Cerna 10). Teachers, parents and friends can play a significant role in helping

individuals overcome and work through the effects of cyberbully attacks.

Cyberbullying is not going away as social media around the world continues to grow daily,

which can only give rise to more opportunities for people to anonymously hurt others. Research

shows that cyberbullying often results in long term effects for an individual such as depression,

bad grades, thoughts of suicide or suicide itself, low self-esteem and a lack of relationships in

one’s life, but these results can be lessened by seeking help and coping. Depression is one aspect
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a victim of cyberbullying is likely to experience. Not only is depression a consequence of

cyberbullying, but it can also cause someone to lose focus and interest in school and receive bad

grades. Cyberbullies are given more opportunities to cause harm as technology grows, which can

lead to suicide and suicidal thoughts. Victims of cyberbullying often have low self-esteem,

therefore making a person more susceptible to further victimization. There are different ways for

these victims to cope with the effects of being cyberbullied, and with different strategies results

can be seen that improve the scars caused by cyberbullies.

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Works Cited

1. Hinduja, Sameer, and Justin W. Patchin. "Bullying, Cyberbullying, And Suicide." ​Archives Of

Suicide Research​ 14.3 (2010): 206-221. ​Academic Search Complete​. Web. 22 May 2016.

2. Kowalski, Robin M., Limber, Susan P., and Agatston, Patricia W. Cyberbullying : Bullying in

the Digital Age (2). Hoboken, GB: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 22 May

2016.

3. LEWINSKY, MONICA. "Shame Sells." ​Vital Speeches Of The Day​ 81.9 (2015):291-295.

Academic Search Complete​. Web. 21 May 2016.

4. Maldonado, Marissa. “Suicidal Ideation and Cyberbullying.” ​Psych Central. 2​ 014. Web. 20

May 2016.

5. Patchin, Justin W. “Self-Esteem and Cyberbullying.” ​Cyberbullying Research Center.​ 2010.

Web. 20 May 2016.

5. Selkie, Ellen M., et al. "Cyberbullying, Depression, And Problem Alcohol Use In Female

College Students: A Multisite Study." ​Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking

18.2 (2015): 79-86. ​ Academic Search Complete​. Web. 22 May 2016.

6. Sleglova,​Veronika, Cerna​, ​Alen​a, “Cyberbullying in Adolescent Victims: Perception and

​ eb. 22 May 2016.

Coping.” ​ Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace. W

7. Weber, Nicole L., and Pelfrey, William V.. Cyberbullying : Causes, Consequences, and

Coping Strategies. El Paso, TX, USA: LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC, 2014. ProQuest

ebrary. Web. 22 May 2016.

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8. Wolpert, Stuart, “Victims of Bullying Suffer Academically as Well, UCLA Psychologists

Report.” ​UCLA Newsroom. ​2010. Web. 22 May 2016.