Cyberbullying, Psychological Distress, and Academic Outcomes Among Adolescents in Kwara State

This study examines the relationships among cyberbullying victimisation, psychological distress, and academic outcomes among secondary school adolescents in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. The proliferation of internet-enabled mobile devices among Nigerian adolescents has created new vectors for peer harassment that extend beyond the physical boundaries of the school environment, with emerging consequences for mental health and academic functioning. This research employed a cross-sectional mediation design involving 480 SS1 to SS3 students selected through cluster sampling from twelve secondary schools in Ilorin and Offa. Cyberbullying victimisation was measured using the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey, psychological distress with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, and academic outcomes from school record data. Structural equation modelling tested a model in which psychological distress mediates the cyberbullying-academic outcomes relationship. Results confirm that psychological distress fully mediates the relationship between cyberbullying victimisation and reduced academic performance. Adolescents with low online self-efficacy and weak offline social support showed disproportionate distress responses to cyberbullying. Girls reported higher cyberbullying victimisation rates, while boys more frequently reported dual victim-perpetrator roles. The study recommends that Kwara State schools develop comprehensive digital safety policies and that school counsellors receive specific training in cyberbullying identification and psychosocial support responses. Keywords: cyberbullying, psychological distress, academic outcomes, adolescents, Kwara State.