Beyond the screen: Examining the associations between cyberbullying, social media addiction, and mental health outcomes among medical students: A cross-sectional study

Background: Cyberbullying and excessive social media use are emerging issues among medical students, with potential implications for mental health. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cyberbullying, social media addiction, and their associated mental health conditions, as well as to explore the associated factors among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 418 medical students in Gujarat using a self-administered questionnaire. Cyberbullying was assessed using the Revised Cyberbullying Inventory (RCI-R), social media addiction was measured using the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and mental health issues were evaluated using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analyses were performed. A P value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The prevalence of cyberbullying, social media addiction, depression, anxiety, and stress among participants was 27.5% (95% CI: 23.4%–31.9%), 32.1% (95% CI: 27.8%–36.7%), 37.6% (95% CI: 33.1%–42.2%), 41.9% (95% CI: 37.3%–46.6%), and 46.2% (95% CI: 41.6%–50.9%), respectively. Factors associated with increased risk of being a cyber victim included older age, female gender, later years of study, increased daily mobile and social media usage, social media as the preferred mobile usage, and social media addiction. Factors associated with being a cyberbully were similar, except for the male gender. Both cyber victimization and social media addiction were significantly associated with higher odds of depression aOR-2.5 (1.6–3.9) and 2.1 (1.4–3.2), anxiety aOR–2.2 (1.4-3.4) and 1.9 (1.3–2.8) and stress aOR–2.8 (1.8-4.3) and 2.4 (1.6–3.6). Conclusions: Cyberbullying, social media addiction, and mental health issues are prevalent among medical students. Targeted interventions addressing excessive social media use, promoting responsible online behaviour, and supporting mental well-being are crucial for this population. Further research is needed to establish causal relationships and develop effective prevention and support strategies.