Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Mar 30, 2025
Date Accepted: Jan 8, 2026
Associations between cyberbullying victimization, inhibitory control, neural activation of error processing, and mental health problems in adolescents: A retrospective longitudinal study using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development data
ABSTRACT
Background:
Cyberbullying victimization is prevalent and closely linked to the development of mental health problems. However, the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and psychopathological outcomes remain largely unclear at present.
Objective:
The current study aimed to explore the longitudinal associations between cyberbullying victimization, inhibitory control, brain activation during error processing, and mental health problems among adolescents.
Methods:
We curated the clinical, behavioral, and neuroimaging longitudinal data (n = 1,186, 46.5% girls, 9-10 years at baseline) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. Participants were assessed by the cyberbullying question, the fMRI Stop Signal Task for error processing, and Child Behavioral Checklist for externalizing and internalizing problems at two-year (T1) and four-year follow-up (T2).
Results:
Linear mixed models showed that victims of cyberbullying at T1 exhibited more severe externalizing than internalizing problems at T2. Furthermore, cyberbullying victimization at T1 contributed to higher activation in the parietal and posterior cingulate cortices during error processing at T2. However, such neural alterations did not significantly mediate between cyberbullying victimization at T1 and externalizing problems at T2.
Conclusions:
These findings provide initial evidence for neural alterations caused by cyberbullying experiences and a starting point for future studies to comprehensively explore other neural mechanisms between cyberbullying and mental health problems.
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