Cyberbullying Victimization and Perpetration in Adolescents with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: Correlations with Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality.
Cyberbullying victimization is a quick, low-cost marker for depression, anxiety, and suicide risk in high-functioning autistic teens.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Huei-Sun et al. (2019) gave an online survey to high-functioning autistic teens. They asked about cyberbullying, mood, worry, and suicidal thoughts.
The teens answered the questions themselves. No parents spoke for them.
What they found
Many teens said they had been cyberbullied. Those same teens also scored high on depression, anxiety, and suicide risk.
The link stayed strong even after the team checked for other factors.
How this fits with other research
Garrison et al. (2025) show the survey method is solid. Even autistic teens with intellectual disability can self-report anxiety when staff give extra help.
Gotham et al. (2015) warn that common depression tools only work modestly in verbally fluent autistic youth. So Huei-Fan’s finding is best viewed as a red-flag screen, not a firm diagnosis.
Young et al. (2025) back this up. Their 2025 review picks the PHQ-9 and HADS as the safest paper forms for autistic youth. If you repeat Huei-Fan’s survey, swap in one of those scales.
Why it matters
You can add two questions to your intake packet: ‘Have you been bullied online?’ and ‘Do you feel safe on social media?’ A yes answer puts the teen in a higher-risk bucket for mood work. No extra testing kit is needed, and you can act today.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The present study examined the associations between cyberbullying involvement and sociodemographic characteristics, autistic social impairment and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms in 219 adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Moreover, the associations between cyberbullying involvement and depression, anxiety, and suicidality were also examined. Adolescents self-reported higher rates of being a victim or perpetrator of cyberbullying than were reported by their parents. Increased age and had more severe ODD symptoms were significantly associated with being victims or perpetrators of cyberbullying. Being a victim but not a perpetrator of cyberbullying was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and suicidality. Cyberbullying victimization and perpetration should be routinely surveyed in adolescents with high-functioning ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04060-7