'Cyberbullying' can heighten depression in female college students

Cyberbullying can be harmful for college going women, as a new study has claimed that the act can increase depression by 6 fold.

The new study claims that 1 in 4 females have experienced cyberbullying in college, and female college students who acted as cyberbullies were also more likely to report problems related to alcohol use.

In the article, authors Ellen Selkie, MD, MPH and Ya-Fen Chan, PhD University of Washington, Seattle, Rajitha Kota, MPH, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, and Megan Morena, MD, MSEd, MPH, Seattle Children's Research Institute, explored the relationship between involvement in cyberbullying--as either the person doing the bullying or being bullied--and depression or problem alcohol use.

Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold said that when counseling college students, inquiring about cyberbullying during intake assessments may help clinicians uncover stressors to be targeted during treatment.

The study is published in the peer reviewed journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.