Cyberbullying and dieting and disordered eating (DDE) behaviors in a nationally representative sample of high school students

Introduction: Youth who engage in DDE behaviors are at increased risk for negative physical and psychological outcomes and for developing an eating disorder. The link between peer harassment and DDE is well-established; however, the relation between harassment via electronic media and DDE is not fully understood.

Methods: Using the 2011 high school Youth Risk Behavior Survey, weighted logistic regression models were conducted to examine the associations between cyberbullying and three DDE behaviors—fasting, using diet supplements, and purging in the past 12 months. Cyberbullying was defined as bullying through e-mail, chat rooms, instant messaging, websites, or texting in the past 12 months. Additionally, a weighted ordered logistic regression model was also conducted to examine cyberbullying and cumulative co-occurring DDE behaviors.

Results: Of the 15,425 students, 13% reported fasting, 5.5% reported using diet supplements, and 4.7% reported purging, with a greater percent of females engaging in each behavior than males. The odds of DDE were greater for students who experienced cyberbullying than for those who did not (ORs and 95% CIs: fasting: 1.5 [1.2, 1.8]; diet pills: 1.3 [1.1, 1.6]; purging: 1.5 [1.1, 2.0]). For co-occurring DDE, the odds of having more versus fewer DDE behaviors for students who experienced cyberbullying were 1.7 (95% CI [1.21, 1.64]) times those who did not.

Conclusions: Cyberbullying was positively associated with individual and cumulative DDE behaviors. Further research into the wide-reaching consequences of peer harassment may help schools better understand, design, and support school-based bullying prevention and intervention efforts.