Path-analytic investigation on moderating impact of cyberbullying on mental Health and academic wellbeing of teenagers’ in Owerri Municipal Imo State, Nigeria

This study used path-analytical methods in investigating moderating impact of cyberbullying on mental health and academic wellbeing of teenagers’ in Owerri Municipal Imo State Nigeria. The study adopted ex-post facto research design. Participants for this study were seven hundred and fifteen (715) purposively selected cyberbullied teenage students from 20 public secondary schools who have undergone counselling therapeutic session with their school counsellors. Ten questionnaires were used for data collection and three research questions answered. Data were analyzed using a causal modeling technique that involved multiple regression, backward solution and path analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Result revealed that cyberbullying has 43% moderating impact on the mental health and academic wellbeing of cyberbullied teenagers. The beta (β) weights of the paths (Paths coefficients) give the estimates of the strengths of the causation of moderating impact of cyberbullying on relationship anxiety as (β = 0.21; <0.001), self-esteem (β = 0.19; p<0.001), interest in schooling (β = 0.09, p<.05),  sleep disturbance (β = 0.08; p>.05), substance abuse (β = 0.07; p>.05), suicidal ideation (β = -0.05; p>.05), readiness to learn (β = -0.04; p>.05), study habit (β = --0.03; p>.05) and truancy (β = -0.01; p>.05). Cyberbullying has a total direct effect of 63.05% and indirect effect of 36.95% on the mental health and academic wellbeing of teenagers. Students should be given appropriate orientation of the negative implication of cyberbullying on their mental health and academic wellbeing