Cyberbullicide – the relationship between cyberbullying and suicide among youth

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One major outcome that we have seen in recent years has been the increase in suicides related to an experience with bullying. As a point of reference, in 2004, suicide was the third-leading cause of deaths among those between the ages of 10 and 24. Even though suicide rates have decreased 28.5 percent between 1990 and 2004 among this age group, upward trends were identified in the 10- to 19-year-old age group in 2003-2004 (the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Though research involving traditional bullying and suicide is plentiful, empirical research involving cyberbullying and suicide is sparse.

We just got word that a research paper we submitted to the journal Archives of Suicide Research has just been accepted for publication. Its general focus is the phenomenon of cyberbullicide, which we define as “suicide indirectly or directly influenced by experiences with online aggression” (Hinduja & Patchin, 2009). We’ll be posting a new fact sheet summarizing the research soon, but it details the empirical link we have uncovered between suicidal thoughts/actions and online victimization.

In our quantitative study, we found that youth who experienced traditional bullying or cyberbullying, as either an offender or a victim, scored higher on a well-validated suicidal ideation scale than those who had not experienced those two forms of peer aggression. Moreover, bullying and cyberbullying victimization was a stronger predictor of suicidal thoughts and behaviors than bullying and cyberbullying offending.

We also found that traditional bullying victims were 1.7 times more likely and traditional bullying offenders were 2.1 times more likely to have attempted suicide than those who were not traditional victims or offenders. Similarly, cyberbullying victims were 1.9 times more likely and cyberbullying offenders were 1.5 times more likely to have attempted suicide than those who were not cyberbullying victims or offenders.

My next post will offer some policy and programming suggestions to address this problem. Even though cyberbullicide occurs quite rarely, it still merits purposed and informed prevention and response efforts.

46 Comments

  1. While I do not endorse bullying – it was the worst part of my growing-up and came at me from parents, the internet and traditionally at school – I have to say that it made me stronger.

    I never considered killing myself although I did occasionally entertain thoughts of hurting my bullies. It amazes me that anyone would do their bully's job for them.

  2. While I do not endorse bullying – it was the worst part of my growing-up and came at me from parents, the internet and traditionally at school – I have to say that it made me stronger.

    I never considered killing myself although I did occasionally entertain thoughts of hurting my bullies. It amazes me that anyone would do their bully's job for them.

  3. I think bullies might cause physical damage, so just ignore it as it never exist. Another thing don't show sadness or lack of confidence because they just want you to feel bad, so show them you really don't care! I hope this one could help.

  4. wow people killing themselfs over the internet isnt it easier just too block and send a virus down there ip or just own your own private website sheesh sucide over the internet is plain stupid for all the offender knows i could be the price of dubai lol

  5. omgg this is so insane ,many ppl get bullied and its real life some ppl need to just block them,tell,and just ignore it!!!

    ive been doing research as just and its just so sad and upsetting.

  6. omgg this is so insane ,many ppl get bullied and its real life some ppl need to just block them,tell,and just ignore it!!!

    ive been doing research as just and its just so sad and upsetting.

  7. Cyber bullying is awful!! I wish more parents and teachers were aware of cyber bullying and how it can affect children. I think if we as parents talk about this subject with our children to help them understand what to do in this case if cyber bullying were to happen to them. We need to let our children know that they need to either block or delete the bully and not to let what they said get to them even though it could have ben hurftul and mean. We need to tell our children that we need to love everyone even if they are mean and hateful towards us. If our children still have good attitudes about people that are not so nice it will help them to cope with the mean and nasty people in the world. Cyber bullying can be avoided if we monitor what our children do and who they talk to. If you notice that your child seems very upset after using the computer or texting a lot you need to find out why and take the time to get to the bottom of it.

  8. Cyber bullying is awful!! I wish more parents and teachers were aware of cyber bullying and how it can affect children. I think if we as parents talk about this subject with our children to help them understand what to do in this case if cyber bullying were to happen to them. We need to let our children know that they need to either block or delete the bully and not to let what they said get to them even though it could have ben hurftul and mean. We need to tell our children that we need to love everyone even if they are mean and hateful towards us. If our children still have good attitudes about people that are not so nice it will help them to cope with the mean and nasty people in the world. Cyber bullying can be avoided if we monitor what our children do and who they talk to. If you notice that your child seems very upset after using the computer or texting a lot you need to find out why and take the time to get to the bottom of it.

  9. i am doinq a paper as well on cyber bullying and suicide and i think the way media and people including schools are handling this situation with these poors kids are ridiculous. this paper and all the research i being doing has made me frustrated and angry

  10. i am doing a paper on cyber bullying and the effects…. this is going to be one of the main points in my paper… suicide

  11. Cyber bullying is a horrific tragedy. It happens not only in the Us but around the world everyday. Adults and adolescents alike need to become educated about the cyber-bullying epidemic. The fact that kids are killing themselves over it is disgusting and it needs to be stopped. I found this article on http://www.textkills.com/ it goes straight to the heart of the issue.

  12. Cyber bullying is a horrific tragedy. It happens not only in the Us but around the world everyday. Adults and adolescents alike need to become educated about the cyber-bullying epidemic. The fact that kids are killing themselves over it is disgusting and it needs to be stopped. I found this article on http://www.textkills.com/ it goes straight to the heart of the issue.

  13. Cyberbullying laws aim to combat several negative consequences associated with cyberbullying, one of which is cyberbullicide. Cyberbullicide is suicide related to cyberbullying. Over the past few years, there has been an unsettling increase in suicides related to bullying or cyberbullying. Although many of the teens who resulted to cyberbullicide had other issues in their lives, cyberbullying was a contributing factor to their suicide.

    A recent example of cyberbullicide occurred at Rutgers University. Tyler Clementi, age 18, plunged to his death off the GW Bridge on September 22, 2010. Days before Clementi’s suicide, his roommate, Dharun Ravi and friend Molly Wei, streamed video of Clementi engaged in a “sexual encounter” with another man. The video was streamed to a network of friends on iChat. Both Ravi and Wei were charged with privacy-invasion. Tyler was just one of many teens who’s suicide was related to bullying.

  14. In order to put a halt to cyberbullying whoever is being bullied needs to let their parents or an adult know. Since cyberbulling seems to be taking places during the later years of middle school it seems as though those kids don’t tell because they are in that stage where they think it’s uncool to be a tattle tell, when in actuality they are harming themselves. In the book it says that in early research they found that victims did not tell adults. But their recent research has changed, most victims tell a friend and then they tell their parents followed by teachers. A lot of kids are scared that their parents will remove the problem. But I think that the parents who do remove the problem aren’t teaching their children to confront the problem, because let’s face it no one in this world is liked by everybody so issues will come up. I think that people should solve problems the old school way especially if they aren’t in high school yet. The old school way would be to talk to the other persons parents and solve it, but that only should happen if it gets out of hand. But even this isn’t guaranteed as a solution because we have the young raising the young and a lot of parents are immature these days. I think if more victims told there parents then the emotional consequences could be to a minimal. Maybe if the victims told someone and confronted the issue they won’t be like Megan Meier or Rachael Neblett who had had enough.

  15. In order to put a halt to cyberbullying whoever is being bullied needs to let their parents or an adult know. Since cyberbulling seems to be taking places during the later years of middle school it seems as though those kids don’t tell because they are in that stage where they think it’s uncool to be a tattle tell, when in actuality they are harming themselves. In the book it says that in early research they found that victims did not tell adults. But their recent research has changed, most victims tell a friend and then they tell their parents followed by teachers. A lot of kids are scared that their parents will remove the problem. But I think that the parents who do remove the problem aren’t teaching their children to confront the problem, because let’s face it no one in this world is liked by everybody so issues will come up. I think that people should solve problems the old school way especially if they aren’t in high school yet. The old school way would be to talk to the other persons parents and solve it, but that only should happen if it gets out of hand. But even this isn’t guaranteed as a solution because we have the young raising the young and a lot of parents are immature these days. I think if more victims told there parents then the emotional consequences could be to a minimal. Maybe if the victims told someone and confronted the issue they won’t be like Megan Meier or Rachael Neblett who had had enough.

  16. Im doing a paper on cyberbulling in my high school honors language class. Its a hard subject. I watched the movie called " Cyberbulling" on ABC family… It ment alot to watch that movie.. This artical will definetly be in my paper..

  17. bullying is an impact of a person saying mean things behind your back and sooner or later it begins rumours about a person and with that much anger and sadness death becomes a thing of chioce because of one persons actions

  18. What about the adults? What should adults do when involved in this crime? It seems as if we hve alot to say if it were a child but what about adults? Some cyber bullies actually try to stalk you. Making sure that your life is threatened. Then suddenly what was once a cyber bully is now a depressed killer.

  19. What about the adults? What should adults do when involved in this crime? It seems as if we hve alot to say if it were a child but what about adults? Some cyber bullies actually try to stalk you. Making sure that your life is threatened. Then suddenly what was once a cyber bully is now a depressed killer.

  20. Looking at recent posts from an AOL chat room, this shiwibear02 seems to be someone that escaped from the perfert ward in a mental institution. He makes vulgar comments about some guy’s deceased wife and by that guy’s profile, has the wrong guy. This is a true stalker. His comments about a “gigs” grandbaby “needing to be raped and murdered” is pure sickness. I researched this myron panteah on line and saw where he is a jeweler. Someone needs to inform any of his customers of his actions and especially that disgusting comment about the grandbaby. I bet some of his customers have grandchildren and after reading that, might think twice about buying any of his product. I slipped in the chat room..Native American Chat…and copied a few quotes this myron panteah typed.

    Shiwibear02: plexs wifeis packed like spam maly
    Shiwibear02: hahahhaha
    Shiwibear02: shes fermenting
    malymal18: HAHAHAHA
    Shiwibear02: hahahahahaha
    Plexaglass: Ol shiwi lives in a post office box, probably the cheapest place he could find to live
    Shiwibear02: bad soil

    There are members of the room that think his comments are cute. LakotaIceBaby, Denaliagain, Sunbonnetquilter, ndnfatback, conowickte1, dogthebootyhntr, zoocrew53 just to name a few. I guess they don’t have grandkids. Speaking with a few of the members, I received the post below, showing how some of the above slam a turkishview…

    Turkishview: She goes oh ok, I will get back with you
    Vvtexas5l6: hi Denali
    Turkishview: or call me when you are healed LOL
    ZooCrew53: PLEXA TRYING TO SNAGG
    Turkishview: So….
    Turkishview: Why my foot she thinks holding for her back to see me or talk to me
    ZooCrew53: MAYBE YOU 2 CAN HOOK UP
    Turkishview: is beyond me
    Turkishview: Now we will have to wait another 2 mo. for her to come back LOL
    Turkishview: NDN should hear this
    Plexaglass: Miss Turk, if you noticed the attempt to make fun of your spelling, yet when the ***** pink font mispells, nothing is typed about that ?
    Plexaglass: That’s so funny
    Vvtexas5l6: yeah that hearing effect in chat is amazing
    Plexaglass: LOL
    Turkishview: Of course I know better than them how to spell or write
    Turkishview: I saw terrible English in here ever!
    Turkishview: They are insecure
    Turkishview: They feel by this way superiority over me
    Indigomyth10: NanC`NezPrece`
    ZooCrew53: TURK YA NEED TO LEARN ENGLISH HELLO
    OnlineHost: NancyNursez 637 has left the room.
    ZooCrew53: 😎
    Turkishview: I know , that font is number one terrible English
    Plexaglass: LOL Miss Turk, they are NOT superior over you.
    Plexaglass: They just think it LOL
    Turkishview: Yes I know, that`s hw they feel over my English
    Vvtexas5l6: how
    Indigomyth10: who do you spell lamb gyro
    Turkishview: In Turkiye what we say people who speaks foreign languages
    ZooCrew53: PLEXA YOU OR TURK ARE NOT SUPERIOR OVER THIS LADY
    Plexaglass: Let them show their hate Miss Turk, everyone sees it.
    Turkishview: each language makes another person
    ZooCrew53: SO BACK OFF
    Turkishview: If you know 2, 3, 4, 5, languages that`s how many you are
    OnlineHost: mudtank6032 has entered the room.
    ZooCrew53: NO ONE MADE YOU GOD
    Turkishview: So well indeed I am over them, in that respect
    Turkishview: I know and master two languages
    Plexaglass: We all have our gifts Miss Turk.
    ZooCrew53: SO
    Turkishview: That`s right
    Indigomyth10: wanna bet?
    ZooCrew53: SO DO I
    ZooCrew53: HELLO INDIGO
    Plexaglass: At least hate isn’t part of our lives.
    Turkishview: It is also a hard work Mr.Plex, many years, schooling and studiying
    Indigomyth10: the big boss is on vacation“I am filling in for him`
    Vvtexas5l6: studying
    Plexaglass: I know Miss Turk, you have done really well.
    ZooCrew53: PLEXA YOU HAVE MUCH HATE IN YOUR HEART DON’T LIE
    Indigomyth10: wanna see me walk on water`________________
    ZooCrew53: YOU HAVE TRY TO TRASH ME SINCE YOU CAME IN CHAT
    Turkishview: It is most of the time, is an accident, I know the words how to spell, if I don`t know how to spell , I would not use it anyway, or go get learn it LOL
    Plexaglass: Miss Turk, anyone that knows you, knows you are well versed
    ZooCrew53: YA YOU LOST YOUR WIFE I8 ALSO LOST MY HUBBY OF 37 YEARS WHY YA HATE
    Turkishview: TY mr.Plex, I try, I even make mistakes when I write in Turkish, it is inevitable, but we all try our best
    Plexaglass: Miss Turk, your mispelled words are few and even so, are nothing like the slang these fools talk in every day.
    Indigomyth10: how do you spell lamb gyro`
    LakotaIceBaby: i do Indigo
    ZooCrew53: PLEXA WHY
    Plexaglass: So pay no attention to them Miss Turk
    Turkishview: Languages are like endless ocean, it never ends learning, even if you rspeak as first language
    Indigomyth10: oh yea“I can use about ten of those right now`
    Vvtexas5l6: speak
    Turkishview: This is keep going on for such long time with me , Mr.Plex
    LakotaIceBaby: we grilled some gyro burgers tonight
    Vvtexas5l6: yummy
    LakotaIceBaby: i ate the brats
    LakotaIceBaby: lol
    ZooCrew53: YUMMY
    Plexaglass: Ok Miss Turk, catch up with you later pretty lady
    Turkishview: Maniac V, stop it
    Turkishview: Good nite Mr.Plex
    Turkishview: Talk to you later
    Denaliagain: Ice what is a gyro burger
    Plexaglass: Nite Miss Turk

    I know this site is mostly for school kids, but bullying, cyber stalking is bad, no matter your age. Thanks for letting me vent here.

  21. Ed again, a correction to a previous post. I did a typo in the spelling of pervert, I mistakenly typed perfert. Now for more information on this shiwibear02. Never have I saw anyone on line as sick and disgusting as this dude is. Below is more of his ranting on and on. Pay close attention to this guy’s spelling, a clue to his mental state.

    Shiwibear02: you wont do anythign abotu it
    Shiwibear02: and never will
    Shiwibear02: just say it
    Shiwibear02: hahahaha
    Shiwibear02: you say you have all this info yet nothign is dome yet
    Shiwibear02: done
    Shiwibear02: some stuff you have
    Shiwibear02: hahahahaha
    Shiwibear02: you got nothing
    Shiwibear02: and im can do as i please
    Shiwibear02: hahahaha
    Shiwibear02: you wont do anythign abotu it
    Shiwibear02: but type
    Shiwibear02: i can count on that
    Shiwibear02: hahahahaha

  22. And to think people would actually torture another person; watching them shrivel up and die like an ant burning under a fire.

    Disgusting.

  23. People need to think before they post negative things about others that are defaming on the internet. Leading someone to the brink of suicide could be tried for capital murder. Adults need to think, especially those with small children and teens. Cyber Stalking and Cyber Harassment are applied to adults. Adults who cyber harass other adults also cyber bully their children and grand children. This is a serious matter for those who get a kick out of doing these acts of evil. Big brother is watching and Political gang stalking is a very serious matter when exposed. There is a lot of loopholes that the ACLU have stepped off from because of the crimes committed by Cyber Bullies. What you create in posts could land you in Jail.

  24. People need to think before they post negative things about others that are defaming on the internet. Leading someone to the brink of suicide could be tried for capital murder. Adults need to think, especially those with small children and teens. Cyber Stalking and Cyber Harassment are applied to adults. Adults who cyber harass other adults also cyber bully their children and grand children. This is a serious matter for those who get a kick out of doing these acts of evil. Big brother is watching and Political gang stalking is a very serious matter when exposed. There is a lot of loopholes that the ACLU have stepped off from because of the crimes committed by Cyber Bullies. What you create in posts could land you in Jail.

  25. For basically all my life I have been bullied for being Lesbian. People would basically say to kill myself because I am a sin. So at that point I began to cut and then it escalated people I felt more and more alone. After a while cutting wouldn't make the pain go away so I decided to listen to other people and say I'm gone and I tired to commit suicide in 2014 but fail. From that point on I realized that my happiness is more important then what other people think. I found myself a wonderful girlfriend and she supports me and is always there when I need her. From that experience I went through it made me wanna help other kids so I started a awareness support group at my school and everyday that support group gets bigger and bigger. Just to be able to finally fit in means a lot.. but I don't wanna fit in I like to be different. and by being different I'm being myself. Thanks for hearing my story and no matter what just know that you can get through anything if all you do is stay strong and fight for youre right to be you.

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