Prevalence and Psychological Impact of Cyberbullying among Female College Students: Examining Differences by Social Media Usage, Residence and College Location in Sivaganga District, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Cyberbullying has emerged as a pervasive psychological and social threat among young women in digitally connected educational environments. The present study examined whether cyberbullying experiences differed significantly among female college students in Sivaganga District, Tamil Nadu, based on three independent variables: college location (rural vs. urban), student residence (hostellers vs. day scholars), and level of social media usage (low, moderate, and high). Cyberbullying experience, operationalized as the dependent variable, was measured across four dimensions Online Harassment, Social Media Victimization, Emotional Disturbance, and Privacy Threats using a researcher-developed and standardized Cyberbullying Experience Scale comprising 40 items on a five-point Likert scale. A quantitative survey design was adopted, and a sample of 300 female college students was selected through purposive sampling from colleges in and around Karaikudi, Sivaganga District. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA) to test three null hypotheses of no significant group difference. Findings revealed that the majority of respondents (58.7%) experienced a moderate level of cyberbullying, with Social Media Victimization emerging as the most dominant dimension (M = 36.11). All three hypotheses were rejected: urban college students reported significantly higher cyberbullying experiences than their rural counterparts (t = 3.12, p < 0.05); hostellers reported significantly higher experiences than day scholars (t = 2.48, p < 0.01); and students with high social media usage reported the highest cyberbullying experiences across groups (F = 8.64, p < 0.01). These findings indicate that increased digital exposure and less regulated online environments are significant determinants of cyberbullying victimization among female college students. The study concludes that cyberbullying is not merely a technological issue but a measurable psychological and academic concern, underscoring the urgent need for targeted digital safety education, institutional anti-cyberbullying policies, and campus-based psychological counselling to protect women students in the digital age.