Unpacking the relationship between bias-based cyberbullying and internalizing symptoms amongst sexual minority youth: the mediating role of internalized homophobia and the moderating role of resilience

Research has evidenced how bias-based cyberbullying can have negative implications for the mental health of sexual minority youth. However, few studies have examined the psychological mechanisms which may help to explain these effects. Thus, this research draws upon the minority stress model to explore the mediating role of internalized homophobia on the relationship between bias-based cyberbullying and internalizing symptoms (i.e. anxiety and depression). We also tested whether resilience functioned as a protective factor within our proposed model. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from 24,334 sexual minority youth across 13 European countries (M age = 15.62, SD = 1.91), and data were analyzed using a multilevel moderated mediation model. Analysis revealed that internalized homophobia partially mediated the association between bias-based cyberbullying and internalizing symptoms. However, resilience did not moderate how bias-based cyberbullying associated with internalized homophobia, anxiety, or depression. Findings therefore suggest that internalized homophobia partially explains the relationship between bias-based cyberbullying and internalizing symptoms. As such, designing interventions that support sexual minority youth to overcome internalized homophobia may help to reduce the maladaptive implications of bias-based cyberbullying.