What are the Risks? From Bullying in Youth to Cyberbullying in Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

Objective: Cyberbullying is a complex phenomenon, and the risk factors associated with cyberbullying are dynamic in nature. Several cyberbullying risk factors identified in the literature were examined as moderators in the relation between youth school bullying and cyberbullying in emerging adulthood. Method: Carleton University undergraduates (N = 932) were invited to complete questionnaires about their childhood experiences with traditional bullying, cyberbullying in university, impulsivity, empathy, mental health, and parental bonding. Results: Multiple regression analyses indicated that empathy significantly moderated the relation between traditional victimization and cyber victimization. Depression and anxiety symptoms significantly moderated the relation between traditional perpetration and cyber perpetration, and lastly depression symptoms significantly moderated the relation between traditional victimization and cyber perpetration. Further, exploratory three-way interaction results indicated that symptoms of depression and anxiety together moderated the relation between traditional victimization and cyber victimization. This means that participants who scored higher on depressive and anxiety symptoms, and were frequently victimized by peers in their youth, reported cyberbullying their peers more often in university. Conclusion: These results have the potential to help researchers and practitioners target relevant factors, such as empathy and mental health when developing intervention strategies. Limitations and future directions were presented.