Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization Prevalence among Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review

Anna Sorrentino (), Francesco Sulla, Margherita Santamato, Marco di Furia, Giusi Antonia Toto and Lucia Monacis
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Anna Sorrentino: Department of Psychology, University of Campania, Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Francesco Sulla: Department of Humanities, University of Foggia, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Margherita Santamato: Department of Psychology, University of Campania, Luigi Vanvitelli, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Marco di Furia: Department of Humanities, University of Foggia, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Giusi Antonia Toto: Department of Humanities, University of Foggia, 71121 Foggia, Italy
Lucia Monacis: Department of Humanities, University of Foggia, 71121 Foggia, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: In light of the alarming results emerging from some studies and reports on the significant increase in aggressive online behaviors among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, the current research aimed at providing a more detailed evaluation of the investigations focusing on the cyberbullying prevalence rates published between 2020 and 2023. To this purpose, systematic searches were conducted on four databases (Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, Scopus and Google Scholar), and following PRISMA guidelines, 16 studies were included and qualitatively reviewed. Although studies were characterized by a large variety in cyberbullying operationalization and measurement, and by different methodologies used for data collection, the prevalence rates of the involvement in cyberbullying and/or cybervictimization generally revealed opposite trends: an increase in many Asian countries and Australia and a decrease in Western countries. The findings were also discussed by considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, some suggestions were provided to policy makers for promoting prevention and intervention anti-cyberbullying programs in school contexts.

Keywords: cyberbullying; cybervictimization; prevalence; COVID-19; children; adolescents; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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