Cross-National Associations Among Cyberbullying Victimization, Self-Esteem, and Internet Addiction: Direct and Indirect Effects of Alexithymia

Abstract

The relationship among cyberbullying victimization, lower self-esteem, and internet addiction has been well-established. Yet, little research exists that explains the nature of these associations, and no previous work has considered the inability to identify or describe one's emotions, namely, alexithymia, as a potential mediator of these links. The present study sought to investigate the indirect effects of cyberbullying victimization on self-esteem and internet addiction, mediated by alexithymia. The sample consisted of 1,442 participants between 12 and 17 years (M age = 14.17, SD = 1.38, 51.5% male) from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States. Results showed a direct relationship between cyberbullying victimization and self-esteem and an indirect association mediated by alexithymia in the Dutch sample. However, in the German and U.S. samples, only an indirect relationship via alexithymia, but not a direct effect of cyberbullying victimization on self-esteem, was found. Consistent across the three country samples, cyberbullying victimization and internet addiction were directly and also indirectly associated via alexithymia. In sum, findings indicate that alexithymia might help better understand which detrimental effects cyberbullying victimization has on adolescent psychological health. Thus, cyberbullying prevention programs should consider implementing elements that educate adolescents on the ability to identify and describe their own emotions.

Prevalence of Internet Addiction during the COVID-19 Outbreak and Its Risk Factors among Junior High School Students in Taiwan

“…This study also revealed that IA is negatively and significantly related to subjective well-being and positively and significantly associated with alexithymia in the psychological dimension, which corresponds with the results of previous studies on IA [ 24 , 25 , 28 , 29 ]. Subjective well-being is defined as a person’s cognitive and emotional evaluations of their life, including peace, happiness, life satisfaction, and fulfillment [ 63 ].…”

“…On the other hand, past researches have shown that higher levels of neuroticism [ 19 , 20 ], greater impulsivity [ 20 , 21 ], higher levels of depression [ 22 , 23 ], alexithymia [ 24 , 25 ], self-esteem [ 26 , 27 ], and subjective well-being [ 28 , 29 ] are all associated with IA. Furthermore, previous research also indicated sociological factors, including actual social support [ 30 , 31 ], virtual social support [ 32 , 33 ], and family function [ 34 , 35 ] to be related to IA.…”

Perpetration of and Victimization in Cyberbullying and Traditional Bullying in Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Roles of Impulsivity, Frustration Intolerance, and Hostility

“…Adolescents with ADHD may feel uncomfortable and spend more time and energy on Internet activities to feel a sense of achievement [ 60 ], increasing the risk of Internet addiction [ 37 ]. Internet addiction is a well-known risk factor for cyberbullying perpetration [ 4 ] and victimization [ 61 ]. Moreover, adolescents with ADHD with high frustration intolerance may work off their frustration by perpetrating cyberbullying; their acts of cyberbullying may provoke others to fight back and thus increase the perpetrator’s risk of victimization.…”

“…Research has found that overlapping cognitive deficits may underlie both classical ADHD symptoms, such as low frustration tolerance and mood instability; stimulants or atomoxetine may alleviate both types of symptoms when they co-occur [ 62 , 63 ]. Supportive interventions [ 61 ], rational emotive behavior therapy [ 64 ], and cognitive behavioral therapies [ 65 ] may also alleviate ADHD youths’ emotional instability due to frustration intolerance.…”

Motor Vehicle Collisions during Adolescence: The Role of Alexithymic Traits and Defense Strategies

“…In this field, clinicians and researchers rooted in the Developmental Psychopathology framework [ 61 , 62 ] have suggested that the presence of adolescents’ emotional difficulties preceding the accidents may lead to a higher risk of a MVC [ 63 , 64 , 65 ], as a form of acting out to cope with underlying psychological sufferance [ 66 , 67 , 68 ]. Some studies have focused on clinical samples of adolescents, evidencing significant associations between MVCs and ADHD [ 69 ], depression [ 70 ], personality disorders [ 71 ], and binge eating disorder [ 64 ]. However, the key role played by adolescents’ emotional difficulties has also been highlighted in non-clinical samples.…”