Locating Cyberbullying and Mental Health in the Recent Literature

Abstract

Communication theories and related literature had significantly explored the effect of media on mental health from its early stage. These theories identified the potentiality of media discourse as a constructive phenomenon in the constitution of mental health and stigma. In this line, cyberbullying, a form of mobbing via electronic media affects the mental health. Considering this fact, this systematic review maps how academic enquires responded to the concept of cyberbullying among adolescents that invariably affect mental health. The systematic review confirms that cyberbullying is a global phenomenon, prevalent among all cultures and geographies, and enhances its frequency owing to technological advancements. Quantitative studies tempt to quantify the mental illness and experiences associated with cyberbullying. The systematic review has also identified a deficit of methodologies for the measurement of cyberbullying and qualitative academic inquires in the recent literature. The majority of the studies conceived cyberbullying from the perspective of victims ignoring the psychological aspects of perpetrators and bystanders. To escape from this positivistic inclination, cyberbullying and mental health have to be addressed footing on the theories of performativity and materiality.