Cyberbullying study

A new study of the effects of cyberbullying is getting a lot of attention, but its results may not match the press reports. Researchers pulled data from a survey of almost 2700 teens between the age of 13 and 17. The survey asked the minors to respond to an 18-item scale measuring types and instances of cyberbullying. The youth also answered 9 questions from the Trauma Symptom Checklist (“TSCC”) for children and a series of questions about how their cyberbullying experiences had affected them. The researchers then correlated the results to gauge the effects of cyberbullying on the test subjects.

My biggest criticism of the reporting on the survey is the conclusion that the survey measured Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”). As one the headline of one article claimed, “Cyberbullying Linked to PTSD in Children.” That interpretation of the study is simply wrong. The Trauma Symptom Checklist does not in itself diagnose PTSD. That diagnosis comes from the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) and requires very specific symptoms over specific time periods. The TSCC, although very helpful to clinicians, does not “fully overlap with” the DSM symptoms. It measures only symptoms related to intrusive thoughts and avoidance of painful feelings. In other words, it is impossible for this study to have measured full-fledged PTSD.

Second, the survey asked about effects that are not unique to either trauma or PTSD. The survey asked, for example, if the cyberbullying negatively impacted friendships or hurt schoolwork. Those feelings can be the effect of simple conflict, which children can’t avoid and need to learn how to manage. Simply labelling all hurt feelings as trauma doesn’t help kids and actually can interfere with their learning important life skills.

Finally, the best I can tell, the survey didn’t ask if any of the associated feelings were short-term or long-lasting. Our kids will have their feelings hurt in life. We can’t protect them from all of those incidents. What we can do is help them learn how to bounce back, and to watch for long-lasting effects that signal that our kids need specialized help.

In the final analysis, this study is a well-intentioned attempt at studying a serious problem. There is no doubt that bullying, whether in person or online, can have serious impacts. By not distinguishing cyberbullying from ordinary conflict and labelling all hurt feelings as “trauma,” this research simply muddles the discussion without adding helpful data.