INFLUENCE OF CYBERBULLYING ON SUICIDAL BEHAVIOURS AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS UDI EDUCATION ZONE, ENUGU STATE

Abstract

This study examined the influence of cyberbullying on suicidal behaviours among senior secondary school students in Udi Education Zone, Enugu State. The study was guided by two research questions. It employed a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised of 78,704 senior secondary school students in Udi Education Zone, Enugu State. The sample size was 74 senior secondary students. The study adopted a multi-stage sampling procedure. The researchers deployed a structured instrument titled “Influence of Cyberbullying on Suicidal Behaviours among Senior Secondary School Students Questionnaire” for data collection. The instrument was structured into a 4-point likert-type scale with the response options of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SA), having the numerical values of 4, 3, 2, and 1, respectively. The instrument was validated by three experts; one from Measurement and Evaluation Unit in the Department of Science Education, and two others from the Department of Social Science Education, all in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Using the Cronbach Alpha method, the overall reliability coefficients of 0.72 was obtained, indicating that the instrument was reliable and suitable for the study. The data was collected using an online survey called Google Form. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation. Findings of the study showed that suicidal behviours are highly influenced by cyberbullying among secondary school students in Udi Education Zone, Enugu State, among others. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that secondary schools should intensify cyberbullying awareness and prevention through periodic seminars, workshops, and school-wide campaigns, among others.