Mechanisms Linking Cyberbullying Victimisation to Internalising Problems in Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modelling

There is a growing body of evidence indicating that cyberbullying victimisation (CV) among youth is associated with internalising problems, such as depression, anxiety, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidality. Despite numerous individual studies examining the mechanisms linking CV to internalising problems, no meta-analyses have systematically synthesised the evidence on mediating pathways, leaving a critical gap in understanding how CV leads to these internalising problems. This systematic review and meta-analysis addressed this gap by identifying and synthesising key factors that influence the link between CV and internalising problems. We searched multiple databases, identifying 112 quantitative studies in English or Chinese that met our inclusion criteria. Our review categorised the mediators into emotional dysregulation, social support, cognitive processes, internalising problems, externalising problems and life stressors across cross-sectional and longitudinal studies with 206,626 participants from 20 countries. Separate meta-analytic structural equation modelling (MASEM) analyses revealed that emotional dysregulation, internalising problems, life stressors and social support partially mediated the impact of CV on depression/anxiety, and internalising problems partially mediated the relation between CV and NSSI/suicidality. These findings highlight the need for prevention and intervention strategies focused on these mediators to improve youth mental well-being.