Childhood maltreatment and adolescent cyberbullying perpetration: Roles of individual relative deprivation and deviant peer affiliation

Abstract

Guided by the general aggression model, relative deprivation theory, social control theory, and self-determination theory, the current study aims to explore the relation between childhood maltreatment and cyerbullying perpetration using a multiple mediation model, that includes individual relative deprivation and deviant peer affiliation as mediating variables. In November 2019, a sample of 1976 Chinese adolescent students attending 7th, 8th, and 10th grades (49.40% males; 8.80% only children; 32.30% middle school students; 32.10% urban students; Mage = 14.43 years, SD = 1.14) responded to questionnaires regarding demographics, childhood maltreatment, individual relative deprivation, deviant peer affiliation, as well as cyberbullying perpetration. Results showed that: (a) after controlling for relevant demographic variables, childhood maltreatment was significantly and positively related to adolescent cyberbullying perpetration; (b) both individual relative deprivation and deviant peer affiliation partially mediated the relation between childhood maltreatment and cyberbullying perpetration in a parallel fashion; and (c) individual relative deprivation and deviant peer affiliation also mediated the relation between childhood maltreatment and cyberbullying perpetration in a sequential fashion. In sum, childhood maltreatment is positively related to adolescent cyberbullying perpetration, and the relation is mediated by individual relative deprivation and deviant peer affiliation both parallelly and sequentially. These findings contribute to a better understanding of how childhood maltreatment is related to adolescent cyberbullying perpetration, which has important implications for the prevention and intervention of adolescent cyberbullying perpetration.