Keyboard gangsters: the prevalence of cyberbullying in high school and college students and the relationship with negative mental health outcomes - a targeted literature review

Background. Cyberbullying is becoming a public health problem due to its association with negative health outcomes, such as depression and suicidal ideation or attempts. While researchers have studied these problems in high school and college students separately, few studies directly compare these age groups. The primary objectives of this study were to conduct a literature review on the prevalence of cyberbullying and its association with depression and suicide. A secondary objective was to compare the results for high school and college students in the United States and Canada.\ud Methods. PubMed and PsychInfo were used to identify studies that met specific inclusion criteria for this review. Each study was given a quality score based on the STROBE guidelines for observational studies,\ud Results. Of 239 identified studies, 20 met all inclusion criteria. The prevalence of cyberbullying in high school and college was 25.2% and 21.4%, respectively. Both high school and college students who had experienced cyberbullying had about 2 to 3 times more risk for developing depression and suicidal thoughts, planning, and attempts when compared to students not involved in cyberbullying. The quality of the studies included was high, averaging 18 points out of 22 points based on the STROBE guidelines.\ud Conclusion. According to published literature, about one fourth of high school and college students have experienced cyberbullying. It would be valuable for further interventions in the public health field to reduce the prevalence of cyberbullying and to reduce the likelihood that those involved in cyberbullying develop emotional distress