Mental health impact of cyberbullying among European sexual minority adolescents: the mediating role of internalized homophobia

Sexual minority youth face distinct challenges related to cyberbullying, with significant implications for their well-being (Bishop et al., 2023). Furthermore, elevated levels of internalized homophobia (IH) may be correlated with victimization experiences and adverse mental health outcomes (Pucket et
al., 2016). This study aims to investigate the interplay between cybervictimization experiences, internalized homophobia, and depression among European sexual minority adolescents. Data from 9,363 sexual minority adolescents (Mage = 15.82; SD = 1.53) were collected through an online survey conducted in Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Portugal, and the UK. In this study, cyberbullying victimization was evaluated using an 8-item
version of the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (α = .87, ω = .91; Brighi et al., 2012). Two additional items were incorporated to assess biased-based cyberbullying victimization. Depression was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire 2-item depression screener (Richardson et al., 2010). Logistic regressions indicated that sexual minorities experiencing general cyberbullying or bias-based cyberbullying had a 90% and 49% higher likelihood of depression, respectively. Those facing both types were five times more likely to experience depression.
Decomposition analyses revealed IH explained 5-10% of the total effects. The study highlights the significant impact of cybervictimization and biased-based cybervictimization on the mental health of sexual minority adolescents, with IH playing a crucial role. Tailored interventions and policies are imperative to address the unique challenges faced by sexual minority youth in diverse European countries, especially given the increasing presence of social media in adolescents' lives.