Abstract
Cyberbullying is a form of bullying carried out using digital media, which is increasingly common among adolescents and can cause negative mental impacts, such as feelings of anxiety. Adolescents who are still in junior high school, especially those in grade IX, are in a phase of emotional development that is not yet stable, making them more susceptible to mental disorders due to cyberbullying. This study was conducted to determine how cyberbullying is related to the level of anxiety experienced by grade IX students at a junior high school located in Kediri Regency. This research used a quantitative method with a cross-sectional approach. The study involved 76 respondents as samples, selected using a simple random sampling method. The instruments used were the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey Instrument (COASI) to measure cyberbullying behavior and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) to measure anxiety levels. Data analysis was conducted using the Spearman’s Rho correlation test. The study showed that most participants experienced high levels of cyberbullying at 57.89% and severe anxiety at 44.74%. Statistical tests indicated a significant relationship between cyberbullying experiences and the anxiety levels of grade IX students at SMP X in Kediri Regency. From the test results, the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.246 and the significance value (p) was 0.032 (p<0.05). The relationship is positive and has weak strength. From this conclusion, it can be understood that cyberbullying has a considerable association with the level of anxiety experienced by adolescents. Therefore, prevention and intervention efforts are needed through education, monitoring of social media use, and strengthening the role of schools and healthcare professionals in maintaining students’ mental health.
Keywords: Cyberbullying, Anxiety, Adolescents, Junior High School
