Cyberbullying and Psychological Well-Being among Library and Information Science Students in Southwest Nigeria: The Mediating Role of Digital Literacy

Abstract

Rationale of Study – Although digital platforms and social media have various advantages for teens for academic and personal growth, they also provide a fertile avenue for cyberbullying, which is a form of harassment or bullying done using online platforms like social media and the internet. This study assessed cyberbullying as a predictor of the psychological well-being of library and information science students in South West Nigeria, with digital literacy skills as a mediating factor.

Methodology – The study used the quantitative approach in data collection. Questionnaires were used to collect data. Simple random sampling was used to select 300 students from three universities in southwest Nigeria that offer the LIS course. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the collected data.  SPSS version 23 was used to analyse the collected data.

Findings – The results indicate that there was a high level of prevalence of cyberbullying, the students had a high level of digital literacy skills, while their psychological well-being was moderate. There was a correlation between cyberbullying and psychological well-being, and also a correlation between digital literacy skills and psychological well-being.

Implications – The findings imply that cyberbullying affected the LIS students’ psychological well-being, as the higher the level of cyberbullying, the lower the psychological well-being would be. Possession of digital literacy skills also influenced psychological well-being since the ability to effectively navigate digital platforms is expected to ensure the ability to cope with cyberbullying. 

Originality – While other studies have focused on digital literacy and cyberbullying in universities in south west Nigeria, this study focused on cyberbullying predicting psychological well-being of Library and Information Science students, with digital literacy as a mediating factor, in order to contribute valuable insight on improving psychological well-being of LIS students and add to literature on cyberbullying, digital literacy and psychological well-being of LIS students.