Substance Use among Cyberbullying Victims During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model of Mental Health Problems and Telemedicine Services Use.

The usage of substances among adolescents remains a prominent social concern, especially during COVID-19. In parallel, cyberbullying has emerged as another significant challenge, affecting the well-being and health of students as they spend more time online. We investigated the correlation between c...

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Published in:Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 157 - 169
Main Authors: Liu, Jie, Han, Ziqiang
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Feb2026
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: Substance Use among Cyberbullying Victims During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model of Mental Health Problems and Telemedicine Services Use.
      aug:
        au:
          Liu, Jie
          Han, Ziqiang
        affil:
          https://ror.org/02mjz6f26 School of Political Science and Law, University of Jinan, 250022, Jinan, P.R. China
          https://ror.org/0207yh398 Smart State Governance Lab, Shandong University, 266237, Qingdao, P.R. China
          https://ror.org/0207yh398 School of Political Science and Public Administration, Shandong University, 72 Binhai Road, Jimo, 266237, Qingdao, Shandong, P.R. China
      su:
        United States
        Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (U.S.)
        United States. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
        Substance abuse prevention
        Substance abuse
        Cross-sectional method
        Self-evaluation
        Sexual orientation
        Mental health
        Cyberbullying
        Risk-taking behavior
        Mental illness
        Socioeconomic factors
        Smoking
        Family relations
        Crime victims
        Teenagers' conduct of life
        COVID-19 pandemic
        Psychosocial factors
        Adolescence
        Scale analysis (Psychology)
        Questionnaires
        Multiple regression analysis
        Disease prevalence
        Descriptive statistics
        Telemedicine
        Odds ratio
        Factor analysis
        Alcohol drinking in college
        Cannabis (Genus)
        Comparative studies
        Data analysis software
        Confidence intervals
      sug:
        subj:
          Substance abuse prevention
          Substance abuse
          Cross-sectional method
          Self-evaluation
          Sexual orientation
          Mental health
          Cyberbullying
          Risk-taking behavior
          Mental illness
          Socioeconomic factors
          Smoking
          Family relations
          Crime victims
          Teenagers' conduct of life
          COVID-19 pandemic
          Psychosocial factors
          Adolescence
          United States
          Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (U.S.)
          United States. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
          Administration of Public Health Programs
          Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)
          Scale analysis (Psychology)
          Questionnaires
          Multiple regression analysis
          Disease prevalence
          Descriptive statistics
          Telemedicine
          Odds ratio
          Factor analysis
          Alcohol drinking in college
          Cannabis (Genus)
          Comparative studies
          Data analysis software
          Confidence intervals
      keyword:
        Adolescent substance use
        COVID-19
        Cyberbullying victimization
        Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services
        Moderated mediation
        Adolescent substance use
        COVID-19
        Cyberbullying victimization
        Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services
        Moderated mediation
      ab: The usage of substances among adolescents remains a prominent social concern, especially during COVID-19. In parallel, cyberbullying has emerged as another significant challenge, affecting the well-being and health of students as they spend more time online. We investigated the correlation between cyberbullying victimization and substance use in adolescents—and considered the potential mediating effect of mental health problems and the moderating effect of telemedicine services. We used data from the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (n = 6,237), a nationally representative study administered by the CDC of the United States. Binary logistic regression and Ordinary Least Squares regression models were employed to examine the associations, and moderated mediation models were performed. The results showed that cyberbullying victimization significantly and directly correlated with increased substance use in adolescents. Mental health problems were found to partially mediate the link between cyber victimization and substance use. Furthermore, telemedicine services exhibited a protective effect on these associations. Specifically, cyber victimization significantly and positively predicted augmented mental health problems and substance use for students who did not use telemedicine services, whereas these associations became non-significant for those who used telemedicine services. This study contributes valuable insights into the impact of disasters, cyberbullying, and adolescent substance use, and it also underscores the importance of adopting a comprehensive prevention approach that addresses both cyberbullying and addictions simultaneously.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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