Cyberbullying in the University Setting. Relationship With Emotional Problems and Adaptation to the University

Abstract

Little scientific attention has been paid to the problem of cyberbullying in the university environment, compared to similar studies conducted on adolescents. This study attempts to analyze the predictive capacity of certain emotional problems (anxiety, depression, and stress) and university adaptation with respect to cyberbullying in victims and aggressors. The European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 and the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire were administered to a sample of 1282 university students (46.33% male) aged between 18 and 46. The results suggest that high levels of depression and stress increase the probability of being a cyberbullying victim, while high levels of depression increase the probability of being a cyberbullying aggressor. Similarly, the personal-emotional and social adaptation of students are found to be predictor variables of being a cyberbullying victim, in that high levels of personal-emotional and social adaptation decrease the probability of being a victim, while high levels of personalemotional, academic and institutional adaptation decrease the probability of being a cyberbullying victim. The results of this study are of special relevance, since they indicate that intervention programs should consider the influence of emotional intelligence, as well as the relevance students' adaptation to university.

Exploring the Mediating Roles of State and Trait Anxiety on the Relationship between Middle Adolescents’ Cyberbullying and Depression

“…Previous research suggested that cyberbullying perpetration is significantly associated with depression, and anxiety seems to partially or fully mediate this relationship in both clinical and non-clinical populations [ 25 , 26 ]. High levels of depression and stress were found to increase the probability of being both a cyberbullying victim as well as a cyberbullying perpetrator [ 27 ]. Furthermore, cyber victims and cyber aggressors seem to have similar levels of depression [ 28 ].…”

Relationship between Cyberbullying, Motivation and Learning Strategies, Academic Performance, and the Ability to Adapt to University

“…The results showed that those students who were victims, compared to those who were not, considered, to a greater extent, leaving their studies, with variables being related to social integration, such as receiving support from friends and professors also having a moderating effect. The study by [30] analyzed the predictive capacity of certain emotional problems (anxiety, depression, and stress) and the ability to adapt to university with respect to cyberbullying in 1282 Spanish university students. The results showed that high levels of depression and stress increased the probability of being a victim of cyberbullying, while high levels of depression increased the probability of being a cyberbully.…”

“…Although previous empirical evidence has highlighted the relationship between cyberbullying and several educational variables such as academic motivation and learning strategies [16,18,19], the ability to adapt to university [29,30], and academic performance [34][35][36], there is a lack of studies that specifically examine the relationship between cyberbullying and such educational variables in university students. Therefore, the aim of this research is twofold: (1) to study the differences between the different roles involved in cyberbullying (victims, bullies, victimized bullies) and those uninvolved in it with respect to motivation and learning strategies, the ability to adapt to university, and academic performance; and…”

Cyberbullying: A Systematic Literature Review to Identify the Factors Impelling University Students Towards Cyberbullying

“…Thus, many become cyberbullies by themselves in the future to reciprocate. Emotional problems have been reported as a highly influencing factor to become a cyberbully [60]. It has been widely reported that those individuals, who are having emotional problems like depression, anxiety & stress are mostly involved in cyberbullying behaviour [23].…”