The Relationships Between Year of Study, Cyberbully Victimisation, and Loneliness Among Undergraduates

Abstract

This study examined the relationships Between year of study, cyberbully victimisation, and loneliness among undergraduates, guided by Glasser’s Choice Theory (1999). Participants were 394 students (178 females, 116 males), aged 19–23 years (M = 27.28, SD = 11.666), drawn through multi‑stage availability and purposive sampling from higher institutions in Nigeria. Data were collected using the Cyberbullying Questionnaire (Calvete et al., 2010), the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell et al., 1978), and demographic information. A correlational design was adopted, and data were analysed using Pearson’s correlation in SPSS 27. Results showed that year of study strongly predicted lower cyberbully victimisation (r = -0.711**, p < .001), while loneliness did not significantly relate to victimisation (r = 0.141, p > .05). Findings highlight the need for early‑year interventions promoting belonging and digital safety.