Examining the Impact of Body Esteem and Cyberbullying Victimization on Mental Health Outcomes in College-Aged Women

Author

Lorena Victoria Houghton, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

12-1-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Clinical Psychology

First Advisor

Joseph Hovey

Second Advisor

Liza Talavera-Garza

Third Advisor

Michiyo Hirai

Abstract

This study investigated the role of cyberbullying victimization, body image constructs, and social anxiety on depression and suicidal ideation among 396 college-aged women. The researcher hypothesized there would be an indirect relationship between various body image-related constructs and depression/ suicidality through cyberbullying victimization and that the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and depression/ suicidal ideation would be moderated by social anxiety. Moderated mediation analyses via bootstrapping revealed cyberbullying victimization significantly mediated the relationship between various body image-related constructs (appearance-related social media consciousness, body esteem, and internalization of body ideals) and suicidal ideation while social anxiety served as a moderator between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation.

Comments

Copyright 2024 Lorena Houghton. https://proquest.com/docview/3153400248

Recommended Citation

Houghton, Lorena Victoria, "Examining the Impact of Body Esteem and Cyberbullying Victimization on Mental Health Outcomes in College-Aged Women" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 1650.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/1650