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Cyberbullying

& Suicide

What Schools Need to Know

Kanessa Miller Doss, Ph.D., NCSP, NCCAssociate Professor of Psychology

Sherrionda Crawford, Ph.D., LPC‐S, NCCAssociate Professor in Counselor 

Education

Shelley W. Reed, PhD, LPC, CACII, MAC, CPCS

Assistant Professor in Counselor Education

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Participants will be able to:○ Define cyberbullying and

suicidality in children andadolescents, including prevalence, warning signs, riskfactors, and at-risk populations.

○ Identify the roles of schools inanti-bullying and suicideprevention.

○ Examine evidence-basedapproaches to preventcyberbullying and suicide.

Objectives

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PrevalenceCyberbullying and Suicide

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Statistics

Cyberbullying○ Approximately 15% of students ages 12-18

experienced bullying online or by text (National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice, 2017).

○ About 15.7% of high school students reported that they were electronically bullied 12 monthsprior to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System survey (Underwood et al., 2020).

○ 59% of American teenagers have been bullied or harassed online, and more than 90% consider it as a major problem for people their age (Anderson, 2018).

Suicide○ Students who experienced bullying or cyberbullying

are nearly 2 times more likely to attempt suicide (Hinduja & Patchin, 2018).

○ Since 2008, suicide ideation and attempts among adolescents have nearly doubled (Plemmons et al.,2018); suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death between 10-34 age group (CDC, 2019).

○ Almost 1 in 20 adolescents encounter a suicide within a year (Andriessen, Dudley, Draper, & Mitchell, 2018).

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Warning SignsCyberbullying and Suicide

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Warning Signs

CyberbullyingSuicide

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WithdrawalAvoiding the computer, cellphone, and other technological devices

Appears stressed when receiving an e-mail, instant message, or text

Avoiding conversations about computer use

Emotional Distress

Lack of connectedness

Has poor eating or sleeping habits

Overwhelming feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.

Makes passing statements about suicide or the meaninglessness of life

Loses interest in the things that mattered most to them

Becomes unusually secretive, especially when it comes to online activities

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Populations with elevated risks

Sexual Minorities Virtual Learners Ages 10-17

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Mental Health Diagnosis

Family History

(Suicide)Youth with Disabilities

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Protective Factors

Positive Mental Health

School Culture

Social-Emotional Learning

Close adult and peer relationships

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The Role of Schools

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Evidence-Based Programs

Good Behavior Game (GBG)

QPR

Steps to Respect: Bullying Prevention

for Elementary Schools

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Additional Resources/Best Practices

• Cyber Safety• Netsmartz• Internet Etiquettes/Ethics

• Anonymous Phone Line• Social Emotional • Resiliency

• Extra-curricular Activities

• Gatekeeper Training for Faculty & Staff

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• Small Groups• Social Emotional • Resiliency • Self-esteem

• Positive Peer Support• Hope Squad• Active Minds

• Community Resources• Law Enforcement• Community Agencies

Questions&

Answers

References○ Anderson, M. (2018). A majority of teens have experienced some form of cyberbullying. Pew Research

Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/ 2018/ 09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/

○ Andriessen, K., Dudley, M., Draper, B., & Mitchell, P. B. (2017). Suicide bereavement and postvention among adolescents. In K. Andriessen, K. Krysinska & O. Grad (Eds.), Postvention in action: The international handbook of suicide bereavement support (pp. 27- 38). Göttingen/Boston: Hogrefe.

○ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). The relationship between bullying and suicide: What we know and what it means for schools. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying-suicide-translation-final-a.pdf

○ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Web-based injury statistics query and reporting system(WISQARS). Atlanta, GA: National center for injury prevention and control. Retrieved from https://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcause.html

○ Cepin, M., Slana, U., Roggenbuck, B., Edert, V., Kaps, M., Trevisan, G., & Galun, M. (2019). Joining forces to combat cyberbullying in schools. Daphne Programme of the European Union. https://socialna-akademija.si/joiningforces/

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○ Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2021). Cyberbullying fact sheet: Identification, Prevention, and Response. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved from https://cyberbullying.org/Cyberbullying-Identification-Prevention-Response-2021.pdf

○ Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2019). Connecting adolescent suicide to the severity of bullying and cyberbullying. Journal of School Violence, 18(3), 333-346. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2018.1492417

○ Musu, L., Zhang, A., Wang, K., Zhang, J., and Oudekerk, B.A. (2019). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2018 (NCES 2019-047/NCJ 252571). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, and Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington, DC.

○ Plemmons, G., Hall, M., Doupnik, S., Gay, J., Brown, C., Browning, W., Casey, R., Freundlich, C., Johnson, D.,Lind, C., Rehm, K., Thomas, S., & Williams, D. (2018). Hospitalization for suciide ideation or attempt: 2008-2015, Pediatrics, 141 (6), doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-2426

○ Underwood, J. et al. (2020). Overview and methods for the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System —United States, 2019. MMWR Suppl 2020;69(Suppl-1):1–10. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su6901a1

○ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). The relationship between bullying and suicide: What we know and what it means for schools. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying-suicide-translation-final-a.pdf

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Innovative Schools Summit: At-Risk & Struggling Students Conference

2021

Cyberbullying & Suicide: What Schools Need to Know

Resource List

Cyberbullying Prevention

Cyberbullying: Identification, Prevention, and Response

https://cyberbullying.org/cyberbullying-fact-sheet-identification-prevention-and-response

Teen Sexting: A Brief Guide for Educators and Parents

https://cyberbullying.org/sexting-a-brief-guide-for-educators-and-parents

Preventing Cyberbullying: Top Ten Tips for Educators

https://cyberbullying.org/preventing-cyberbullying-top-ten-tips-for-educators

Developing a Positive School Climate

https://cyberbullying.org/developing-a-positive-school-climate-to-prevent-bullying-and-cyberbullying

Bullying, Cyberbullying, & LGBTQ Students

https://cyberbullying.org/bullying-cyberbullying-lgbtq

Responding to Cyberbullying: Top Ten Tips for Educators

https://cyberbullying.org/responding-to-cyberbullying-top-ten-tips-for-educators

Suicide Prevention

Evidence-Based Suicide Prevention Programs for School Systems

https://www.gadoe.org/schoolsafetyclimate/Documents/EvidenceBased%20Suicide%20Prevention%20Programs.pdf

Preventing Suicide: The Role of High School Teachers

https://sprc.org/sites/default/files/resourceprogram/Role%20of%20High%20School%20Teachers%20Revised%20FINAL%20v2_6-14-19.pdf

Making Educators Partners in Youth Suicide Prevention: ACT on FACTS- Free Training

https://sptsuniversity.org/

Preventing Suicide: The Role of High School Mental Health Providers

https://sprc.org/sites/default/files/resourceprogram/Role%20of%20HS%20MH%20Providers%20Revised%20FINAL%20v3_6-18-19.pdf

Suicide Prevention in Schools: Strategies for COVID-19

https://www.sprc.org/news/suicide-prevention-schools-strategies-covid-19

Fostering School Connectedness

CDC Resources for School Connectedness

www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/adolescenthealth/connectedness.html

CDC’s Applying Science, Advancing Practice: Preventing Suicide Through Connectedness

www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/ASAP_ Suicide_Issue3-a.pdf

Evidence-based Social Emotional Learning Approaches

Good Behavior Game

www.air.org/focus-area/education/?type=projects&id =127

Steps to Respect: Bullying Prevention for Elementary School

www.cfchildren.org/steps-torespect.aspx

Websites

Stopbullying.gov

https://www.stopbullying.gov/

Cyberbullying Research Center

https://cyberbullying.org/

Netsmartz

https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/home

Megan Meier Foundation

https://www.meganmeierfoundation.org/statistics

Centre for Suicide Prevention

https://www.suicideinfo.ca/resource/cyber-bullying/

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

https://afsp.org/

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

https://www.sprc.org