The Relationship of Cyberbullying to Certain Personal and Social Variables and its Impact on Adolescent Mental Health A Field Study on a Sample of Adolescents in Selected Neighborhoods of Damascus

Abstract

This research aims to answer the following question: What is the relationship between cyberbullying and certain personal and social variables among adolescents? This comes at a time when cyberbullying has become a tangible and perceptible phenomenon across widely used social media platforms and networks, affecting various age groups and social classes. Notably, adolescents are among the most prominent users, necessitating an examination of the relationship between the tendency towards cyberbullying and certain personal and social variables.

The theoretical framework will address the reasons for the spread of cyberbullying among adolescents, identify cyberbullying methods, emphasize the importance of mental health, particularly during adolescence, recognize the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent mental health, and highlight appropriate strategies for dealing with this phenomenon. To conduct this study, the researcher employed a descriptive-analytical approach and designed a suitable questionnaire. After ensuring its validity, the questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 331 adolescents in several neighborhoods of Damascus. The research yielded several key findings, including: a statistically significant relationship exists between mental health and cyberbullying among adolescents; a statistically significant relationship exists between economic status and cyberbullying; a statistically significant relationship exists between adolescents' level of social media use and cyberbullying; and a statistically significant relationship exists between parents' level of social media use and cyberbullying.