Logo image
Back
Problematic social media use mediates the effect of cyberbullying victimisation on psychosomatic complaints in adolescents
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Problematic social media use mediates the effect of cyberbullying victimisation on psychosomatic complaints in adolescents

Prince Peprah, Michael Safo Oduro, Godfred Atta-Osei, Isaac Yeboah Addo, Anthony Kwame Morgan and Razak M. Gyasi
Scientific reports, Vol.14, 9773
29/04/2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-59509-2
PMID: 38684725
Appears in  Recent National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine Publications
pdf
Problematic social media use mediates the effect of cyberbullying victimisation on psychosomatic complaints in adolescents1.15 MBDownloadView
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0,  Open Access
url
Problematic social media use mediates the effect of cyberbullying victimisation on psychosomatic complaints in adolescentsView
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Related links

Metrics

3 File views/ downloads
44 Record Views
14 Times Cited - Web of Science

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

Source: InCites

Abstract

Adolescent well-being Psychosomatic complaints Public health Cyberbullying victimisation Sleep quality Social media use Risk factors
Adolescent psychosomatic complaints remain a public health issue globally. Studies suggest that cyberbullying victimisation, particularly on social media, could heighten the risk of psychosomatic complaints. However, the mechanisms underlying the associations between cyberbullying victimisation and psychosomatic complaints remain unclear. This cross-cultural study examines the mediating effect of problematic social media use (PSMU) on the association between cyberbullying victimisation and psychosomatic complaints among adolescents in high income countries. We analysed data on adolescents aged 11–16.5 years (weighted N = 142,298) in 35 countries participating in the 2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Path analysis using bootstrapping technique tested the hypothesised mediating role of PSMU. Results from the sequential binary mixed effects logit models showed that adolescents who were victims of cyberbullying were 2.39 times significantly more likely to report psychosomatic complaints than those who never experienced cyberbullying (AOR = 2.39; 95%CI = 2.29, 2.49). PSMU partially mediated the association between cyberbullying victimisation and psychosomatic complaints accounting for 12% (= 0.01162, 95%CI = 0.0110, 0.0120) of the total effect. Additional analysis revealed a moderation effect of PSMU on the association between cyberbullying victimisation and psychosomatic complaints. Our findings suggest that while cyberbullying victimisation substantially influences psychosomatic complaints, the association is partially explained by PSMU. Policy and public health interventions for cyberbullying-related psychosomatic complaints in adolescents should target safe social media use.

Details

Logo image