In the digital era, where technology dominates over communication, connection and social relationships, the staggering rise of cyberbullying proves to be detrimental to the social and mental psyche of people. The limited research present regarding the crisis fails to provide sufficient data to critically analyse and initiate policies to combat the same. In this regard, Dr Dhamodharan M and Dr Sunaina K, faculty from the Department of Psychology have conducted insightful research into cyberbullying, the role of technology and the challenges in tackling the act. The faculty duo has published a book chapter titled “Cyberbullying – A Disturbed Psyche and Digital Abuse in 21st Century” in the book In Analyzing New Forms of Social Disorders in Modern Virtual Environments in IGI Global Publishers (US).

Abstract

Cyberbullying is ‘a violent, planned act carried out by a group or specific, using electronic forms of communication, frequently and over time in contradiction of a victim who cannot easily protect him or herself.’ (Smith et al., 2008). According to the UNICEF and Broadband search survey 2023, around 36.5 out of a hundred people feel they were cyberbullied at least once in life, and seventeen percent of people experienced cyberbullying in the last month. 60 out of 100 adolescents experienced cyberbullying. Seventy percent of youths have reported perpetrators. Sixteen percent of women have been stalked at least once in life. 1 in 19 men have been stalked at some point. Fifty percent of LGBTQ people experience cyberbullying. Girls face cyberbullying more than boys. Around 36 percent of girls experience cyberbullying, whereas 24 percent of boys experience cyberbullying. Eighty-three percent of the victims who experienced online bullying also experienced physical bullying. Around 42 percent of the people experience cyberbullying on Instagram, followed by Facebook at 37%, Snapchat at 31%, WhatsApp at 12%, YouTube at 10%, and Twitter at 9%. Cyberbullying refers to using digital technologies such as cyberspace, societal broadcasting platforms, direct messaging, and email to bother, intimidate, or harm others.

This chapter provides an indication of cyberbullying, including its definition, incidence, and impact on individuals and society. Firstly, the chapter reviews the existing research on cyberbullying, exploring its different forms and characteristics and the psychological and social consequences for both victims and perpetrators. Secondly, the role of technology in facilitating and exacerbating cyberbullying is also examined, focusing on the anonymity and distance that online platforms provide. Thirdly, legal and ethical considerations surrounding cyberbullying including the challenges of enforcing laws and policies online are explored. Finally, the chapter highlights the importance of a comprehensive and collaborative approach involving parents, educators, policymakers, and online platforms to address cyberbullying.

Implications

Cyberbullying is a pervasive problem with significant and long-lasting consequences for people, their families, and society. It is essential to address cyberbullying thoroughly and implement effective prevention measures to create a more secure and respectful online environment. Cyberbullying can have detrimental effects on its victims, leading to feelings of helplessness, mental health issues, trouble with schoolwork, and even self-harm or suicide. In addition, cyberbullying affects the social fabric of groups, and trust, and impedes the proper growth of individuals, especially children and adolescents. Cyberbullying has a shocking prevalence worldwide, and it is spreading over to people silently. Traditional bullying differs from cyberbullying; it occurs to the victims in various forms and levels.

Dr Aehsan Ahmad Dar, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, published the article titled “A Cross-Sectional Study on Mental Health of School Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in India” in the journal Data in collaboration with academicians from different universities across the country and abroad.

The present study estimated the mental health of school students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic caused stress which increased the levels of anxiety and depression among the students. However, social support from family and friends was found to be a protective factor for mental health.

The findings of the research will serve as a reliable source of information for mental health professionals and policymakers to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other traumatic experiences on mental health. Therefore, necessary efforts are suggested to provide mental health support services to prevent the development of mental disorders.

Dr Aehsan’s future research plan is to study the mental health of youth and ascertain its risk and protective factors. About 19% of the world’s children live in India, which constitutes 42% of the total Indian population, and nearly half of these children are vulnerable and need care and protection. Due to various traumatic experiences, stress has increased among young people resulting in the development of various physical and mental disorders.

His research will focus on the pathogenic (posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, somatization) and salutogenic (posttraumatic growth and resilience) consequences of trauma to help the youth withstand adverse experiences to develop psychological competence. The research will provide insights into the mental health status of youth that would be helpful for the administration, policymakers, and other voluntary organizations to understand effective ways to devise and implement the best intervention programs for maximizing mental health protective factors and minimizing its risk factors.

The Annual Conventions of the National Academy of Psychology (NAOP) aim to provide a platform to present, discuss, and debate issues that confront individuals, groups, and communities in this fast-changing world. Dr Sunaina K, Assistant Professor of the Department of Psychology, has presented a paper titled Social Writing and the Development of Critical Thinking amongst School Students at the 32nd International Annual Convention of the National Academy of Psychology (NAOP), held at Ahmedabad University, Gujarat, from March 3 to 5, 2023.

Abstract

This study attempted to examine the texts, contexts and voices of young adolescents in social writing activities in schools and how thinking is constructed through the same activities. An intervention study of one-year duration on social writing, based on a longitudinal quasi-experimental design, has been conducted with 15 students in a government school in Kozhikode district in Kerala. The intervention programme was conducted with the help of a module of writing activities prepared by the researcher by using the Vygotskian pedagogic ideas. Each writing session was preceded by a dialogue session between the adult member and the students.

The study employed Thematic Content Analysis as the method of data analysis. The thematic analysis of the mediated learning of social writing unfolds the dialectical interplay between the human mediators, cultural tools and the motives for developing critical thinking skills in the students. From the analysis of the pattern of appearing ‘self-reflections’, a domain of critical thinking (Barnette, 1997), it can be said that interactive participation in the dialogue session enhances participation in the writing activities with the involvement of self. Active participation in the dialogue session helps the students gather maximum information on the theme of dialogues (collection of everyday concepts) and also makes some generalisations. These generalised ideas are transforming into conceptualised thoughts (thinking in ‘scientific concepts’) when the students go through in a deliberate, systematic thinking process while writing. This conceptualisation of ideas, visible in students’ texts, is the base of the critical thinking that is getting reflected in their writings and further helps them in critical reasoning, self-reflection and thinking about critical actions while writing.

Dr Aehsan Ahmad Dar, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, delivered a lecture titled Impact of Childhood Adversity on the Mental Health of Young Adults in Kashmir at the Two – day National Conference on Youth Development held on March 24 and 25, 2023. Youth in the 21st Century: Prospects and Psychosocial Challenges was the theme of the conference, which was organised by the Department of Social Work and Department of Applied Psychology, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, in collaboration with ICMR – NIRT, Chennai.

Abstract of the Lecture

The study examines the impact of Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on mental health among young adults in Kashmir. A cross-sectional research design was followed to study the effect of ACEs on the mental health of Kashmiri youth by employing a multi-stage sampling method. Data were collected from 693 research participants who were studying in different colleges and universities in Kashmir, with the help of the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale and Mental Health Inventory (MHI-18). Findings revealed that various adversities during childhood, including psychological abuse, physical abuse, contact sexual abuse, household substance abuse, violent household treatment of mothers and fathers, household mental illness, and household criminal behaviour, had a significant impact on the mental health of Kashmiri youth in terms of increased anxiety, depression and loss of behavioural control and decreased positive affect.

Practical Implementation of the Findings

ACEs are traumatic events that individuals under 18 have experienced. Various individual, family, and community factors can affect a child’s likelihood of experiencing ACEs, and it causes long-term risks for mental health with the potential to carry over beyond the present generation. ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and adult risk-taking behaviours. There is a “dose-response relationship” between ACEs and health outcomes. Therefore, findings suggest advocating early targeted interventions to reduce ACEs and their impact on young people’s mental health in Kashmir. There is a need to design efficient measures, to enhance ACE resilience programs and ‘trauma-informed’ approaches to tackle the longer-term impact of ACEs on health and wellbeing.