Socio-cognitive and emotional factors on perpetration of cyberbullying

Abstract

Research on the characteristics shown by children who cyberbully others is scarce. The objective of this research is to know the variables that predict the involvement of youngsters in cyberbullying perpetration. The current study examined the relation between socio-cognitive and emotional variables and cyberbullying perpetration. It examined the cyberbullies' beliefs about moral disengagement towards cyberbullying. It tested also the social support and emotional reactions to cyberbullying with the aim of understanding their association with cyberbullying perpetration. A number of 1,062 teenagers (54% girls) between 12 and 19 years old (M=15.20, SD=1.91), from six public secondary schools in Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), participated in the study. Results suggest that students who engage in cyberbullying perpetration have higher levels of cyberbullying victimization and bullying aggression when compared with their peers who do not engage in cyberbullying. The findings show that socio-cognitive and emotional variables are important to understand individual differences in engagement in cyberbullying. Result of regressions indicated that perpetration of cyberbullying was positively associated with cyberbullying victimization, bullying aggression, moral disengagement towards cyberbullying, social support and satisfaction expression. In contrast, perpetration of cyberbullying was not associated with negative emotions. Gender and age did not play a significant role in the prediction on perpetration of cyberbullying. Future research should continue to examine predictive factors associated with cyberbullying perpetration. Las investigaciones sobre los ciberagresores son escasas. El objetivo de esta investigación ha sido conocer las variables que predicen la agresión de ciberacoso. El presente estudio examinó la relación entre las variables socio-cognitivas y emocionales con la agresión de ciberacoso. Se examinó la desconexión moral hacia el ciberacoso. Se midió también el apoyo social y las emocionales con el objetivo de conocer su relación con la participación en el ciberacoso. Participaron en el estudio 1.062 adolescentes (54% chicas) con edades entre los 12 y 19 años (M=15,20; DT=1,91), de seis Institutos de Enseñanza Secundaria de Castilla-La Mancha (España). Los resultados muestran que los estudiantes que participan en la agresión tienen niveles más elevados de cibervictimización y acoso, en comparación con sus compañeros que no agreden a través de ciberacoso. Los resultados muestran que las variables socio-cognitivas y emocionales son relevantes para entender las diferencias individuales en la participación de ciberacoso. El resultado del análisis de regresión indicó que la ciberagresión estaba positivamente asociada con la cibervictimización, la agresión cara a cara, la desconexión moral hacia el ciberacoso, el apoyo social y la satisfacción por su comportamiento. En contraste, no se asoció con emociones negativas. El género y la edad no desempeñaron un papel significativo para la predicción de la ciberagresión. Por ello, investigaciones futuras deben continuar examinando los factores predictivos asociados a la agresión del ciberacoso.

Psychological Correlates of Ghosting and Breadcrumbing Experiences: A Preliminary Study among Adults

“…Participants' classification as victims of ghosting, breadcrumbing, or the combination of both these digital tactics, was made by following a highly restrictive criterion used by previous research about other forms of digital teasing [45]. Participants were considered ghosting victims if they reported experiencing it at least 3 times or more in the last year.…”

Analysis of Moral Disengagement as a Modulating Factor in Adolescents’ Perception of Cyberbullying

“…The introduction of moral variables into studies of the prevalence of cyberbullying has provided important explanatory and causal indicators regarding the involvement of adolescents in cyber-aggression (Hardy et al, 2015; Allison and Bussey, 2017; Larranaga et al, 2018). These results have very limited applicability, however, unless other factors that exert a determining influence on the prevalence of aggression and victimization and on the persistence of these roles are taken into account at the same time.…”

Moral Disengagement as an Explanatory Factor of the Polyivictimization of Bullying and Cyberbullying

“…However, others workers find moral disengagement to be more consistently related to bullying than to cyberbullying, with the characteristics of the latter involving different moral mechanisms [39,40]. More recent studies warn that cyber-aggressors have a higher level of moral disengagement than the rest of those involved in this type of situation [41].…”