Associations Between Cybervictimization in Adolescence and Mental Health Four Years Later: A Nationally Representative Study of Canadian Youth

The objective of the study was to examine longitudinal associations between cybervictimization and mental health and suicidal behavior among youth. Data for 4930 youth were drawn from the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth (CHSCY), a nationally representative cohort survey with collection waves in 2019 and 2023. Logistic regression models predicted self-reported mental health outcomes in 2023 (depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt) from cybervictimization in 2019, adjusting for baseline mental health, socio-demographic covariates, frequency of online activities, and experience of traditional bullying victimization. Fully adjusted models suggested that cybervictimization in 2019 was significantly associated with youth depression (OR: 2.41, 95%CI: 1.68, 3.45), anxiety (OR: 1.33, 95%CI: 1.05, 1.68), and suicidal ideation (OR: 1.95, 95%CI: 1.12, 3.39) four years later. The association with suicide attempt was positive but not statistically significant in adjusted models (OR: 1.77, 95%CI: 0.99, 3.16). These results suggest that youth who experience cybervictimization in adolescence are at elevated risk of mental health problems lasting into young adulthood, an association which appears to be independent of the experience of traditional face-to-face victimization. Bullying prevention programs targeted towards reducing cybervictimization may warrant further study, with the aim of informing approaches to improve adolescent mental health.