Efficacy of the Online Mindfulness-based Logotherapy Program (OnlineMLP) on the Depressive Symptoms of Selected Cyberbullied Adolescents during Covid-19 Pandemic

Page: 478-484
Jeyaseelan, Maria Michael1 and Marc Eric S. Reyes2 (The Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas Manila, Philippines1 and Department of Psychology, College of Science, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines2)

The global pandemic has pushed everyone into cyberspace practically 24/7; the cyber world may have been a safe space for netizens from Covid-19 but not online bullying behaviors. However, cyberbullying victimization has become more widespread nowadays since bullies have easy online accessibility, can maintain online anonymity, have an infinite online audience, and can easily reach their victims online anytime in a day. Empirical evidence associating cyberbullied victimization with depression is alarming. This study examined the efficacy of the Online Mindfulness-Based Logotherapy Program (OnlineMLP) in targeting the depressive symptoms of cyberbullied adolescents in Tamilnadu, India, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The development of OnlineMLP involved using the program development model and randomized controlled trial of two groups comprising forty (20+20) participants. We used the Cyber victimization questionnaire for adolescents (CYVIC) and the Beck depression inventory-II (BDI-II) scales to assess the presence of cyber victimization and depressive symptoms. Paired t-test and MANOVA were used for data analyses, and Cohen’s d test measured the extent of the effect of the OnlineMLP. Results of the paired t-test and MANOVA showed a statistically significant impact. Thus, The results of the intervention program showed that the OnlineMLP is efficacious in lowering the depressive symptoms experienced by our cyberbullied adolescent participants during the Covid-19 pandemic.