Exploring issues relating to the mental health, digital help-seeking and cyberbullying of neurodivergent young people in Northern Ireland

Neurodivergent young people experience disproportionately high rates of mental health challenges, including higher rates of anxiety and depression, while also facing greater barriers to traditional mental health supports. As digital mental health interventions become increasingly explored and embedded within youth mental health services, it is critical to understand how neurodivergent young people are affected and how they engage with digital resources. The objectives of this study are to examine mental health outcomes, online victimisation, and digital help-seeking behaviours among neurodivergent young people compared to their neurotypical peers, using data from the Youth Wellbeing NI Survey (N=1,299), a stratified random probability household survey conducted by a research consortium from Ulster University, Queen's University Belfast, and the Mental Health Foundation.

Participants self-reported diagnoses of ADHD, autism, and dyslexia, enabling categorisation into neurodivergent (ND) and neurotypical (NT) groups. Mental health was assessed using the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Suicide Behaviours Questionnaire-Revised. Cyberbullying experiences and digital help-seeking behaviours were also examined.

Neurodivergent young people had significantly higher levels of anxiety and depression (p < 0.001) compared to their neurotypical peers. Suicidal ideation was also significantly more prevalent among ND youth (p = 0.001), highlighting a critical need for targeted intervention.

In addition to mental health difficulties, ND young people were significantly more likely to be classed as victims of cyberbullying (p = 0.036), suggesting heightened vulnerability to online harassment.

Despite these challenges, ND young people were significantly more likely to engage in digital help-seeking (p = 0.004), particularly through internet-based models.

These findings highlight the need for neurodivergent-informed digital mental health interventions. ND young people experience disproportionately high rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and cyberbullying victimisation, yet display a strong inclination towards online help-seeking, more so than their neurotypical counterparts.