Relationship between Cyber Bullying and Self-Esteem among Youth in Tertiary Educational Institutions in Nairobi County, Kenya

Self-esteem (SE) and cyber bullying (CB) are topics that have been studied extensively and their interaction has recently drawn the interest of researchers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cyber bullying and self-esteem among youth in tertiary institutions in Nairobi County, Kenya. It focused on assessing the self-esteem levels among youth, exploring the various forms of cyber bullying among youth, determining the relationship between cyber bullying and self-esteem and establishing the gender differences in the relationship between self-esteem and cyber bullying among youth. The study was founded on the Identity theory of self-esteem. The study adopted a correlational research design and survey method of data collection. Data was collected using the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale and the Revised Cyber Bullying Inventory (RCBI). Data analysis was conducted using the 26th version of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis and results presented using tables and charts. Findings revealed that self-esteem levels among the youth ranged between low and normal (M = 14.99, SD = 3.578). Cyber bullying perpetration and victimization were prevalent among the youth (94.7% and 87.3% respectively). The relationship between cyber bullying perpetration and self-esteem levels was not statistically significant (r = -.109, p = .060). The relationship was however statistically significant between cyber bullying victimization and self-esteem levels (r = .177, p = .002). No significant gender differences were observed in relation to self-esteem levels, cyber bullying perpetration or victimization (p > .05).