Perpetrators and victims of cyberbullying among youth with conduct disorder

Abstract

Due to modern technological innovations, aggressive behaviors have expanded into the cyberspace, creating a new matter of public concern: cyberbullying. Antisocial and aggressive behaviors, including bullying are characteristic for children and adolescents diagnosed with conduct disorder (CD), raising the question whether these youths are highly involved in cyberbullying experiences, too. 206 participants with CD versus typically developing controls (TDCs) aged 9–19 years (57% girls) were included in the study. Individuals completed several self-report measures investigating cyber- and traditional bullying experiences, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to explain the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and perpetration with demographic and clinical variables. Experiences of cyberbullying victimization and perpetration were significantly higher among youth with CD compared to TDCs, and this was accompanied by significantly higher scores on a measure of traditional bullying in CD versus TDCs. CD diagnosis, female sex and higher levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits were each uniquely associated with increased experiences of cyberbullying victimization, whereas CD diagnosis, higher levels of CU traits and older age were each uniquely associated with increased experiences of cyberbullying perpetration. Individuals with CD, compared to TDCs are at higher risk of becoming cyberbully victims and perpetrators, hence representing an important novel aspect in the assessment and treatment of these youths.

Technology Use and Psychopathology among Early Adolescents in a Rural Context in Chile

“…In recent years, especially after the pandemic, there has been an increase in the use of smartphones over overs devices among young people. Regarding the association between cyberbullying and mental health, our ndings support the evidence that victims of cyberbullying have more emotional problems, such as depression (54,55) and anxiety (56), and perpetrators have a higher risk of conduct problems (57). Fewer studies have explored the association between cyber victimization or perpetration and empathy and prosocial skills (58).…”

Cyberbullying among secondary school students: Analyzing prediction and relationship with background, social status, and ICT use

“…A literature review revealed that sex and academic performance in the background variable, as well as social status and ICT use, correlate with and predict cyberbullying; sex predicts cyberbullying [ 35 ], with men being more likely to be cyberbullies than women [ [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] , [42] ]. Furthermore, female sex is a stronger predictor of cyberbullying victimization [ 43 ] and bystander behavior than male [ 42 ].…”

Conduct Disorder: An Update

“…In more severe cases, extreme behaviors, such as outbursts of anger, starting fires, and harming animals or other children, can be observed (Mohamed 2022, Yücel 2020. Although these behavioral problems can be observed in various environments, Baumann et al (2022) addressed a different point in a study that examined the cyberbullying experiences of individuals with conduct disorders. Accordingly, it has been revealed that individuals with conduct disorders can be either perpetrators or victims of cyberbullying (Bauman et al 2022).…”