European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Technology has now served as a means of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying represents harassment done at any time and in any place. A victim of cyberbullying may undergo a sequence of emotional effects such as anxiety, stress, depression, or even suicidal intention. The present study aimed to confirm the effectiveness of cognitive behavior group counseling with cognitive restructuring and self- instruction technique in reducing university students’ stress due to cyberbullying. To this end, factorial experimental design was implemented. The participants of the study were 20 private university students in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The data were collected using Social Anxiety Scale. In analyzing the data, repeated measure ANAVA was applied. The result of the study indicated that cognitive behavior group counseling with cognitive restructuring and self-instruction technique was effective in reducing the stress of cyberbullying victims. The study also revealed that self-instruction was more effective in reducing stress, compared to cognitive structuring. Regarding gender, female students exhibited a more significant decrease in stress than male students did.