125 - Patterns of Cyberbullying Victimization in Patients Presenting to an Urban Pediatric Emergency Department: A Survey Study

Publication Number: 1115.125

Nanditha Shivaprakash, Newton Wellesley Hospital, Natick, MA, United States; Mira Mashali, Boston University School of Medicine, Dover, MA, United States; Tehnaz Boyle, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States; Deborah A.. Frank, Boston University School of Medicine, Brookline, MA, United States

Background: Cyberbullying has emerged as a growing threat to adolescent mental health with potential for life-threatening consequences such as suicidality, self-harm, and substance use. Identifying adolescents impacted by cyberbullying is an essential step in preventing these outcomes, which Pediatric ED providers are tasked with managing acutely. Prior studies focusing on Non-Hispanic White samples suggest cyberbullying targets include young females, those with past experiences of victimization, or lack of social connectedness. Little is known about how multicultural and socioeconomically diverse populations are impacted.

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the pattern of cyberbullying victimization in patients presenting to an urban pediatric emergency department (PED) across four sociodemographic characteristics and chief complaint.

Design/Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of adolescent patients between the ages of 11-21 years presenting to an urban PED in Boston, Massachusetts that primarily cares for a socioeconomically and demographically diverse population. We included English and Spanish speakers with Emergency Severity Index (ESI) level 3, 4, or 5 or ESI level 2 who were deemed medically stable. Patients were enrolled over 6 months (November 2023-April 2024). Enrolled participants completed a brief survey regarding their experience with cyberbullying victimization and self-reported demographic variables. We screened 403 patients, of which 307 were eligible for inclusion, and 189 were enrolled.

Results: 71% of participants were in the late adolescent age range, with mean age of 18.1 years. 59% were female, and most self-identified as Black/African American (37%) or Hispanic/Latino/a (43%). 89% of participants spoke English primarily, and 93% of participants presented for a medical chief complaint. Twenty-nine percent of the total sample reported a positive cyberbullying victimization history. Our study suggests more than one in four adolescents aged 11-21 years presenting solely for medical chief complaints in a single urban PED report cyberbullying victimization during their lifetime. No significant differences in cyberbullying prevalence were observed among adolescent age groups, race/ethnicity, preferred spoken language, or chief complaint type (medical versus behavioral).

Conclusion(s): Health care providers in the acute care settings should consider universal screening for cyberbullying victimization in adolescents to prevent poor future health outcomes such as suicidality that Pediatric ED providers are often tasked to manage acutely.

Figure 1
Screening and Enrollment

Cyberbullying Survey


Table 1
Prevalence of cyberbullying in an urban population of adolescents admitted to pediatric emergency department November 2023-April 2024