Linda E Welsch Jensen
Clarkson College, USA
Title: Relationships between cyber victimization and depression among adolescents in an acute inpatient psychiatric hospital
Biography
Biography: Linda E Welsch Jensen
Abstract
Anecdotally relationships seemed to exist between cyber victimization and depression among adolescents admitted to an inpatient psychiatric hospital. A lack of research related to this population of adolescents heightened the need for this study. Primarily, this study examined the relationship between cyber victimization and depression among adolescents while also investigating the associations of gender, age, race, grade level, and involvement with the legal system. Although 140 adolescents were admitted to the hospital during the study period, only 100 (n = 100) chose to participate in the non-experimental descriptive correlational research design, which utilized a three part self-report questionnaire. The three-part survey gathered demographic data, gathered cyber victimization data through the Cyber Peer Experiences Questionnaire (C-PEQ), and data through the Center for Epidemiological Studies- Depression Scale (CES-D). Based on the study findings, t-test analyses indicated that females scored significantly higher on cyber victimization (t = 4.12, df = 69, p = 0.00) and cyber aggression (t = 2.36, df = 48, p = 0.022) when compared with males. A Pearson correlation analysis indicated there was a mild significant association between adolescent cyber victimization and depression (r = 0.218, p = 0.0290). In addition, a Pearson correlation analysis indicated a strong significant association among adolescents who reported experiencing both cyber victimization and participating in cyber aggression (r = .555, p = 0.000). These findings are important in the future development of cyberbullying prevention and intervention programs for adolescents.