The Digital Scar: The Psychological Impact of Cyberbullying and Cyber-Victimization among Young Adults

Abstract

In today's digitally interconnected world, emotional disconnection has led to new forms of social harm, particularly cyberbullying and cyber victimization, which significantly affect adolescents and young adults. Cyberbullying is defined as intentional and repeated harm through electronic devices, while cyber victimization encompasses various harmful online experiences such as harassment, threats, and exposure to damaging content. Both phenomena can lead to significant psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, and self-esteem deterioration. One factor that may influence how individuals respond to such online harassment is alexithymia, a condition characterized by low emotional self-awareness and difficulty identifying and describing one’s emotions. This emotional dysfunction has been linked to various mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and interpersonal challenges. The current research explores the relationship between cyberbullying, cyber victimization, and alexithymia, aiming to understand how emotional processing difficulties, such as alexithymia, influence the psychological impact of online harassment. A study was conducted on 40 young adults aged 18 to 23. Standardized scales were used Perth alexithymia questionnaire (Preece et al. 2018) to measure alexithymia among young adults and the Cyberbully/victim scale development study (Ayas and Horzum, 2010) to measure cyberbullying and cyber victimization among young adults through their experiences on the internet. By analyzing the responses there is a strong positive correlation (r=0.741, p < .001). This suggests that individuals with higher levels of alexithymia are more likely to experience higher levels of cyber victimization. Educating people on the impact of their words and fostering supportive digital communities can help combat this issue.