A medicolegal perspective on the issue of cyberbullying in Turkey: A retrospective descriptive study on medical specialization theses

Abstract

In recent years, the issue of cyberbullying has attracted the attention of researchers from many different fields as well as medical professionals. The aim of this study is to discuss the descriptive variables of medical specialty theses written on cyberbullying in Turkey in terms of forensic medicine. In this study, using the keywords "cyberbullying" and "cyber violence", theses registered in the Thesis Documentation Center of the Council of Higher Education were scanned. As a result of the screening, among 179 theses, 15 medical specialty theses related to the subject were examined within the scope of the study. The distribution of the 15 theses examined according to specialty areas was n:7 (46.6%) psychiatry, n:4 (26.6%) family medicine, n:1 (6.6%) forensic medicine, n:1 (6.6%) child and adolescent mental health and diseases, n:2 (13.3%) pediatrics. The peak in the writing of specialty theses was in 2019 (n:4). The population of the theses consisted of individuals aged 12-18 years in n:10 (66.6%) and 10-18 years in n:3 (20.0%) and university students in n:2 (13.3%), respectively. It was determined that questionnaires were used as the instrument and method in all of the theses analyzed. Most of the theses analyzed were conducted on adolescents between the ages of 12-18. There were no thesis studies among adults without or not a university degree. In future studies, these populations should also be examined. Due to its effects on people, it was thought that there may be an increase in the number of patients exposed to cyberbullying in the fields of psychiatry and forensic medicine. Therefore, it is necessary to increase medical awareness and conduct more studies on the cyberbullying issue.