EFFECTS OF CYBERBULLYING ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF AN INDIVIDUAL

A Research Presented to the Faculty of

Senior High School Department
The Mabini Academy
Lipa City

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Subject
Practical Research 1

By:

Cetron, Keith Michael N.

Rapsing, Rosemay I.
Silva, Alyka J.
Suruela, John Carlo P.
Torres, Maxinne Kyle N.
 Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Over the years, our technology evolved. It started when our ancestors used

stones to carve writings, using electricity for information handling and transfer, and lastly,

inventing solid state devices or electronic devices.

           These days, almost every person in the world owns a gadget. May it be young or

old, holds a mobile phone, tablets, laptops, computers, etcetera. In that case, misusage

of these gadgets is unavoidable, especially on kids, if not guided well by an adult. Some

people might use these to harm other people on social media, and the most common

form of harming people on the internet is cyberbullying.

           Cyberbullying involves sending or posting harmful or cruel text messages using

the internet (e.g., instant messaging, emails, chat rooms, and social networking sites) or

other digital communication devices such as cellphones. It can involve stalking, threats,

harassment, impersonation, humiliation, trickery, and exclusion (Feinberd and Robey,

2008). According to the research held in the UK by Oliver and Candappa (2003), 4% of

the students, aged 12-13 years old, had received nasty text messages while 2% had

received nasty email messages.

           Cyberbullying causes distress (Ybarra et al., 2006), and the effects of it,

compared to the traditional, are still uncertain. The possible breadth of an audience for

cyberbullying (on websites or by circulating picture clips) might heighten the impact, but

the possibility of blocking electronic compared to face‐to‐face harassment might lessen

the impact. The reported data on the relative impact of cyberbullying compared to

traditional bullying as perceived by pupils. Relatedly, many victims of traditional bullying

do not seek help (Whitney & Smith, 1993). Consequently, researchers have not

considered bullying a stressful experience that could jeopardize children's well-being and

a potential risk factor for mental health problems (Tolan, 2004). However, cross-

sectional studies have indicated that children targeted by bullies show signs of distress

such as depression and anxiety (Hawker &Boulton, 2000). In addition to that, bullying

victimization became a growing concern among children, parents, school staff, and local

authorities who fear for children's safety (Oliver &Candappa, 2003); (Department for

Children, Schools and Families, 2009).

           This paper will mainly focus on determining the nature of cyberbullying and its

assessment and highlight the series of findings of cyberbullying and mental health

problems. Nowadays, the use of electronic communication technologies has become the

primary or core method of communication. While there are many benefits to such

technologies, cyberbullying has emerged as a potential harm. This study aims to

develop a better understanding of cyberbullying victimization and its impact on the

victim's mental health and behavior.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to develop a better understanding of cyberbullying victimization

and its impact on the victim's mental health and behavior.

Particularly, the study desires to seek answers to the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the victims in terms of:

1.1 Sex

1.2 Age

1.3 Grade/Year
 2. What is Cyberbullying and how is it related to traditional bullying?

3. How does cyberbullying affect the mental health of its victims?

4. What are the coping mechanisms used by the victims of

cyberbullying?

5. What are the actions and response the school has in preventing

cyberbullying from occurring?

Hypothesis

This research is to assess the hypothesis that cyberbullying can affect an

individual's mental health that can cause many problems or troubles to the victim.
 Conceptual Framework

In this section, the conceptual paradigm shows the input, process, and output system
approach of the study.

Input Process Output

Impact of Cyberbullying on
the Victim's Mental Health
Behavior
Demographic Variable of the
Victim
1.1 Sex
Informative Research Report
Survey Questionnaire
Recommended programs
that will help the victim
cope up with the Effects of
Cyberbullying.

1.2 Age

1.3 Grade/Year

The figure represents the concept of the research study.

The first frame shows the input which play a major role on the study. It contains the
Demographic Variable of the Victims: Sex, Age, Grade/Year and Impact of Cyberbullying
on the Victim's Mental Health Behavior.

The second frame shows the process that the researcher will use to deeper understand
the study. The researchers will use Informative research report, which includes the
Survey Questionnaire made by the researcher.

The last frame shows the output that provides the recommended programs that will help
the victim cope up with the effects of Cyberbullying.