Prevalence and Prevention Strategies of Cyberbullying among Nigerian Students
Omoneye Olufunke Olasanmi, Yinusa Toyese Agbaje, Mercy Omoyemen Adeyemi
2020
Open Journal of Applied Sciences
Cyberbullying is a problem that has emerged as a byproduct of modern-day technologies. This form of aggression occurs when one or more individuals use a technological medium for the purpose of intimidating or harming others. In spite of the popularity of technological devices among Nigerian youths presently, there remains a critical gap in literature relating to cyberbullying and its possible effects on students in Nigeria. This study thus sought to identify if a relationship exists between
more »
... itional bullying and cyberbullying; examine the effect of cyberbullying on students' psychological behavior; and examine ways in which cyberbullying might be prevented. The sample consists of students from tertiary institutions while the results were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The result of the findings showed that significant correlations were found between traditional bullies and cyberbullies (r ranks = 0.322, p < 0.001), cyberbullies and cyberbullied victim (r ranks = 0.401, p < 0.0001). There were also significant correlations found between bullies and bully victims (r ranks = 0.326, p < 0.001) and between bullied victim and cyberbully victim (r ranks = 0.160, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that traditional bullying and cyberbullying share a strong relationship with one another. Furthermore, it was also discovered that those who were victimized through traditional bullying or cyberbullying were also likely to bully others. The result showed that cyberbullied victims often exhibit a variety of negative outcomes especially anger, embarrassment, fear and anxiety. A Spearman Rank-Order correlation revealed a negative association between grade level and cyberbullies (r ranks = 0.034, p = 0.355) as well as grade level and cyberbully victims (r ranks = 0.107, p = 0.217). A significantly positive relationship occurred between frequency of computer use and cyberbullies (r ranks = 0.206, p = 0.015), as well as between frequency of computer use and electronic victimization (r ranks = 0.223, p = 0.012). The study concluded that parents, school and mental health providers must not only be aware of cyberbullying and its How to cite this paper: Olasanmi, O.O., Agbaje, Y.T. and Adeyemi, M.O. (2020) Prevalence and Prevention Strategies of Cyberbullying among Nigerian Students. Open
doi:10.4236/ojapps.2020.106026
fatcat:mez3ateqizczjlg4telwtna3my