Victims of cyberbullying remain fearful about becoming victimized at school, a recent study by the Sam Houston State University discovered. The research indicates that online bullying leads to offline fear for the victims.

Although traditional bullying continues to instill the most fear among its victims, cyberbullying plays an important role in fear for victimization for students who have experienced bullying or similar disorder at school, such as the presence of gangs. Fear from cyberbullying tends to be the most prominent among those in minority populations.

Ryan Randa, Assistant Professor at Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice, said in a statement, “It cannot be overstated – online victimization has offline consequences, and those consequences may have a number of negative effects for students, including fear of victimization.”

The study results are based off of a survey involving over 3,500 students between the ages of 12 and 18 across the country. The questions for the students revolved around bullying and cyberbullying. The students were asked if hurtful information had been posted about them online, or if they had been insulted or threatened via email, instant messaging, text messaging, or through online gaming programs, and if they had been excluded from buddy lists or online friends.

According to stopbullying.gov, common examples of cyberbullying include sending mean emails or text messages, as well as sending rumors by email or on social networking sites, as well as embarassing photos, videos, websites, or fake profiles.