The Relationship Between Cyberbullying and Health-Risk Behaviors Among High School Students

Abstract

Cyberbullying is bullying using electronic forms of contact, including the internet and cell phones. This quantitative study is a secondary analysis that explores the relationship between health-risk behaviors and cyberbullying among a Monroe County School District. High school students in the district were issued a local version of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Survey items related to cyberbullying, binge drinking, hours of sleep, marijuana use, and other health-risk behaviors were reviewed, and chi squared tests were run in order to determine if relationships between the health-risk behaviors and perpetration of cyberbullying exist in this district. Results indicate that a number of variables are related to the perpetration of cyberbullying and that further research must be done to determine causation and/or potential mediating variables.