Cyberbullying, Digital Victimisation and Suicidality Among Adolescents and Sexual and Gender Minority Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
- 1Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
- 2Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Abstract
Cybersuicide refers to suicidal behaviour influenced by online activities, particularly cyberbullying and cyber-victimisation. Digital harassment is strongly linked to mental health problems that can precipitate suicidal ideation and attempts, especially among adolescents, who experience multiple forms of online abuse leading to depression, anxiety and stress. Gender minority populations may face greater risk due to minority stress and disproportionate online harassment. A comprehensive review is needed to understand this emerging public health challenge and inform targeted prevention and mental health interventions. A systematic search following PRISMA guidelines was conducted on 17 March 2025 across PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Cochrane CENTRAL after registering protocol on PROSPERO (CRD420251061647). Of 400 studies identified, 21 involved adolescents, youth or university students, and 7 examined gender minority populations. The pooled odds ratio for the association between cyberbullying and suicidality across 9 studies was 3.22 (95% CI: 1.9-5.5; z = 4.33, p < .0001). Pooled cyberbullying prevalence was 13.9% (95% CI: 7.8-23.5) pre-2020 and 13.2% (95% CI: 6.7-24.1) post-2020 (I² = 99.7%). Among gender minority groups, pooled prevalence was 39.89% (95% CI: 18.56-65.91). Pooled suicidal ideation prevalence was 21.39% (95% CI: 13.30-32.56). Cyberbullying is a consistent risk factor for suicidal behaviour, amplified by depression, minority stress and low social support. Strengthening digital literacy, integrating cyberbullying prevention into adolescent mental health programmes and implementing inclusive online monitoring protocols are essential to mitigate these risks.
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BibTeX
@article{mandal2026cyberbullying,
title = {{Cyberbullying, Digital Victimisation and Suicidality Among Adolescents and Sexual and Gender Minority Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.}},
author = {Debayan Mandal and Roshan Sutar and Ashish Pakhre and Vijender Singh and Amit Agrawal},
journal = {Annals of neurosciences},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1177/09727531261497509},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996446},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Cyberbullying, Digital Victimisation and Suicidality Among Adolescents and Sexual and Gender Minority Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
AU - Debayan Mandal
AU - Roshan Sutar
AU - Ashish Pakhre
AU - Vijender Singh
AU - Amit Agrawal
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Annals of neurosciences
DO - 10.1177/09727531261497509
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996446
AB - Cybersuicide refers to suicidal behaviour influenced by online activities, particularly cyberbullying and cyber-victimisation. Digital harassment is strongly linked to mental health problems that can precipitate suicidal ideation and attempts, especially among adolescents, who experience multiple forms of online abuse leading to depression, anxiety and stress. Gender minority populations may face greater risk due to minority stress and disproportionate online harassment. A comprehensive review is needed to understand this emerging public health challenge and inform targeted prevention and mental health interventions. A systematic search following PRISMA guidelines was conducted on 17 March 2025 across PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Cochrane CENTRAL after registering protocol on PROSPERO (CRD420251061647). Of 400 studies identified, 21 involved adolescents, youth or university students, and 7 examined gender minority populations. The pooled odds ratio for the association between cyberbullying and suicidality across 9 studies was 3.22 (95% CI: 1.9-5.5; z = 4.33, p < .0001). Pooled cyberbullying prevalence was 13.9% (95% CI: 7.8-23.5) pre-2020 and 13.2% (95% CI: 6.7-24.1) post-2020 (I² = 99.7%). Among gender minority groups, pooled prevalence was 39.89% (95% CI: 18.56-65.91). Pooled suicidal ideation prevalence was 21.39% (95% CI: 13.30-32.56). Cyberbullying is a consistent risk factor for suicidal behaviour, amplified by depression, minority stress and low social support. Strengthening digital literacy, integrating cyberbullying prevention into adolescent mental health programmes and implementing inclusive online monitoring protocols are essential to mitigate these risks.
SN - 0972-7531
SN - 0976-3260
ER -