The association between cyberbullying in social media and coping with anxiety, stress, and trauma at wartime among children with and without ADHD

During wartime, children and adolescents face heightened psychological risks, including increased anxiety, stress, and trauma. Social media use typically intensifies during such times, potentially escalating cyberbullying. This study examined during wartime the relationship between cyberbullying involvement in social media and coping with anxiety, stress, and trauma among 122 children, 46 boys and 76 girls, aged 9–16 (M = 12.00, SD = 1.90), including 55 with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 67 without. Children completed eight questionnaires on demographics, exposure to security-related trauma, trauma, anxiety, stress, coping strategies during wartime, social support, child-parent relationships, and involvement in cyberbullying on social media. Findings revealed that during wartime, children with ADHD were more frequently involved in cyberbullying (as perpetrators, victims, and bystanders), experienced greater emotional distress with higher levels of anxiety and stress, used more destructive coping strategies, and reported lower social support and weaker child-parent relationships. ADHD was found to moderate the relationships between trauma, social support, child-parent relationships, and cyberbullying, with stronger associations observed in the ADHD group. These findings underscore the increased vulnerability of children with ADHD during conflict and the critical role of targeted interventions to strengthen social and familial support particularly in children with ADHD.