Influence of Cyberbullying and Fear of Negative Evaluation Among Youth

Cyberbullying has become very common among internet users as technology becomes more relied upon to maintain interpersonal communication. The aim of the present study is to understand the level of cyberbullying among youth internet users and also to examine the relationship among fear of negative evaluation, depression, anxiety, and stress level in the context of cyberbullying. The study also aims at understanding gender differences in cyberbullying across youth population and also to consider the differences in cyberbullying in terms of demographic variables of the participants and internet usage characteristics. The sample consists of 140 participants (70 male & 70 female) in the age range of 18-25 years. Data were collected from the participants through self-report questionnaires on Cyberbullying, Fear of social exclusion and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS). Result revealed that males are more active in internet usage characteristic and also become victims of cyberbullying (victimization, offending) compared to females. On the other hand, females show higher level of fear regarding negative evaluation, depression, anxiety and stress. The correlation matrix showed that internet usage characteristics are significantly correlated with cyberbullying, negative evaluation and DASS variables. Multiple regression analysis showed a significant influence of internet usage characteristics and negative evaluation on depression, anxiety and stress among students.