Comparing association between traditional-/cyber-bullying perpetration and marijuana use among young people: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Although traditional- and cyber-bullying perpetration share similar features, they are also distinguishable and may result in differing impacts on marijuana use among young people. Hence, the current systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to collectively examine the association between bullying perpetrations and young people's marijuana use and to compare their effect sizes. Of the 22 studies included, 33.3 % used a standardized tool for traditional bullying, 33.3 % for cyberbullying, and 9 % for marijuana use. About 36 % estimated the prevalence of marijuana use during the past 30 days, and 63 % measured bullying perpetration without a specified type. Of the 20 studies that examined the association between traditional bullying perpetration and marijuana use, 85.0 % reported a positive association, 10.0 % found no significant relationship, and 5.0 % indicated a negative association. Additionally, all five studies that examined the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and marijuana use confirmed a significant positive association. The meta-analyses revealed that both traditional bullying and cyberbullying perpetration had an overall effect on marijuana use among young people with the pooled effect sizes at 0.902 and 1.245, respectively, but the effect size for cyberbullying perpetration was larger than traditional bullying perpetration. Comparing these two effect sizes, the strength of association was stronger for cyberbullying perpetration and marijuana use than for traditional bullying perpetration. These findings may reflect a shift in bullying trend from offline to online setting and highlight the potential role of problematic internet use. To address these interconnected issues, the study recommends an integrated, developmentally sensitive intervention model delivered through online platforms.