The Influence of Bullying and Cyberbullying in the Psychological Adjustment of Victims and Aggressors in Adolescence

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to analyze the extent to which violent peer behavior and victimization, both traditional and cybernetic, and predict certain indicators of psychological maladjustment in adolescents, such as self-concept, satisfaction with life, feeling of loneliness, depressive symptomatology, perceived stress, social anxiety, empathy, and emotional intelligence. Participants in the study were 1318 adolescents of both sexes, aged between 11 and 18 years and enrolled in Compulsory Secondary Education schools. The design of the study was cross-sectional. The results indicated that the victims generally present greater maladjustment than the aggressors. Both victims and cybervictims showed a greater decrease in all the dimensions of self-concept, compared with aggressors and cyberaggressors. However, the two types of aggressors showed a higher likelihood of presenting low levels of empathy. Feeling of loneliness, depressive symptomatology, perceived stress, and degree of life satisfaction was more probable to be present in all groups of aggressors and victims. Finally, with regard to emotional intelligence, victims had a higher probability of obtaining low scores in all the dimensions of this construct; this was the case for traditional aggressors only in the dimension of emotion regulation. These results contribute to our understanding of the consequences of harassment in the adaptation of the students involved, with relevant practical implications.

Loneliness, Family Communication, and School Adjustment in a Sample of Cybervictimized Adolescents

“…The findings available so far suggest that feelings of loneliness can be a risk factor to become a cybervictim, but also a consequence of this role, especially in adolescents, where the use of social media is significant. For example, the situation of bullying can increase cybervictims' feelings of loneliness [11], which can lead them to spend more hours using ICTs in order to reduce these feelings, thus providing more control and opportunities to communicate with others [12]. However, the use of online communication diminishes face-to-face social interactions and promotes weaker and more superficial social relationships [13], thus explaining the greater sense of loneliness and isolation reported by cybervictims [14].…”

Influence of Personality Traits and Its Interaction with the Phenomenon of Bullying: Multi-Centre Descriptive Study

“…Bullying comprises all types of violence: verbal, physical, social (social exclusion, margination, etc. ), psychological, and even violence through new technologies and social media (cyberbullying or "happy slapping") [10][11][12]. All these new forms of bullying have led to the updating and criminalisation of offences internationally in order to address this phenomenon.…”

Predicting Bullying through Motivation and Teaching Styles in Physical Education

“…These results are in line with the positions of the self-determination theory and underline the potential responsibility of physical education teachers in the struggle against bullying, and how, by supporting autonomy and avoiding a controlling style, they can help reduce bullying perpetration and victimization. poor relationship quality, self-harm, anxiety, symptoms of depression, and suicidal thoughts that are sometimes enacted upon [9,10]. Bullies also suffer from mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, psychosomatic problems, an increased risk of suicide, future relationships with other forms of violence, and risk of excessive alcohol and marijuana use [11,12].…”