Cybervictimization Experiences Research Articles

Exploring the Link Between Cyber Victimization and Depression.

Cyber victimization is strongly and positively associated with depressive symptoms in adolescence. Identifying mechanisms of this association is imperative to benefit adolescents' mental health. Applying the General Aggression Model in a theoretically novel way, this study examined a complex mediational pathway between cyber victimization and depressive symptoms. Two hundred seventy-seven adolescent participants (M age = 15.84; 65.7% females) reported their own cyber victimization experiences, depressive symptoms, and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral attributions in response to a hypothetical cyber victimization scenario. Path analysis within structural equation modeling was used to test a model where cyber victimization predicted depressive symptoms through characterological self-blame cognitions, sadness emotions, and passive avoidance behaviors. Characterological self-blame was found to partially mediate the positive and significant association between cyber victimization and depressive symptoms. Sadness emotions and passive avoidance behaviors did not emerge as significant mediators. The findings implicate the importance of cognitions in explaining the association between cyber victimization and depression and suggest incorporating cognitive re-framing education into anti-cyberbullying prevention programs.

Mediating role of alexithymia in relationship between cyberbullying and psychotic experiences in adolescents

BackgroundToday, addressing issues related to the use of virtual space is of paramount importance due to its significant impact on mental well-being. This is especially crucial when the research community consists of teenagers who are cyber bullies or their victims who have higher vulnerability. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of alexithymia in the relationship between cyberbullying and psychotic experiences in adolescents.MethodsThe research method employed in this study was correlational, and the study population consisted of all male and female middle school students in Tehran during the 2022–2023 academic years. As for data collection, the Cyber-Bullying/Victimization Experiences questionnaire, Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences, and the Toronto Alexithymia scale were applied. A total of 602 samples were gathered by using multi-stage cluster sampling from Tehran in Iran. Four selection of the sample, the regions in Tehran were selected randomly according to the geographical directions of them and then some schools and classes were chosen randomly. Sample was included in the analysis after data entry into SPSS software and subsequent structural equation modeling using AMOS software.ResultsAccording to the findings, cyberbullying (β = 0.11,p < 0.05) and cyber victimization(β = 0.41, p < 0.001) were significant predictors of psychotic experiences. Alexithymia partially mediated the relationship between cyberbullying and psychotic experiences with the mediation effect of 0.28 and cyber victimization and psychotic experiences with the mediation effect of 0.18.ConclusionsThese findings underscore the importance of identifying cyber victims or cyberbullies in order to prevent alexithymia and psychotic experiences in future, in order to prevent more serious problems and becoming psychotic.Trial registrationThe goals and conditions of this research were investigated and approved by the Ethics Committee of Alzahra University in Tehran (code: ALZAHRA.REC.1402.055) on 13th September 2023.

Psychosocial Well-being, Problematic Social Media Use, and Cyberbullying Involvement Among Mongolian Adolescents

AbstractCyberbullying among adolescents has been increasingly studied throughout the world as it has become a significant public health concern. However, there is a dearth of research on cyberbullying in Mongolia. This study investigated cyber-perpetration and cyber-victimization experiences among Mongolian adolescents aged 14 to 18 (n = 676) and the relationship between psychosocial well-being, social media use, and cyber-perpetration and victimization. The data were analyzed with SPSS 25 (IBM Corp, 2017; Hayes, 2013). Results showed that 30.2% of participants experienced pure cyber-victimization, 19.0% experienced both perpetration and victimization, and 6.7% experienced pure cyber-perpetration often or occasionally in the past 12 months. Being male significantly predicted cyber-perpetration, and no such gender difference was observed for victimization. Age was not related to either cyber-perpetration or victimization. As hypothesized, the results showed that psychosocial well-being directly predicted cyber-perpetration and victimization and indirectly predicted them through problematic social media use (PSMU). The recommendations, implications, and limitations are discussed regarding these findings.

Cybervictimization and mental health among Canadian youth.

Cybervictimization has emerged as a potentially serious form of victimization and has been associated with negative mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and suicidality. However, very little research has examined the prevalence and correlates of cybervictimization among diverse subpopulations of youth. Data from 13,602 adolescents aged 12 to 17 were drawn from the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth. Adolescents reported on their experiences of cybervictimization in the past 12 months, general mental health, and eating disorder symptoms; adolescents aged 15 to 17 reported on suicidal ideation and attempt; and parents reported on problems with depression and anxiety. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of experiencing cybervictimization according to characteristics, including gender identity, population group, same-gender attraction, low family income, and the presence of chronic conditions and digital media habits. Logistic regression models were also used to estimate the odds of experiencing each mental health difficulty by sociodemographic characteristics and experience of cybervictimization. The odds of experiencing cybervictimization were higher among transgender and non-binary youth, females attracted to the same gender or unsure of their attraction, and adolescents living with chronic conditions (particularly females and those living in low-income households). Cybervictimization was consistently associated with a greater risk of poor general mental health, depression or anxiety, eating disorder symptoms, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt. These associations did not differ according to the sociodemographic characteristics assessed. In terms of digital media habits, lower frequencies of use were generally associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing cybervictimization. While certain population groups appear to be at a higher risk of experiencing cybervictimization, the experience of cybervictimization is associated with similar mental health indicators for all adolescents.

The role of teacher support in increasing youths’ intentions to disclose cyberbullying experiences to teachers

The current research on teacher support strategies for students who have been cyberbullied is inconsistent, which contributes to both teacher inaction and cyber-victims’ non-disclosure. Thus, the current study aims to address this issue of non-disclosure by measuring adolescents' intent to disclose hypothetical cyberbullying experiences to a teacher after being presented with cyberbullying vignettes. One-hundred and five adolescents between the ages of 12-to-17 years old (60% self-identified as Female; Mage = 14.26; SD = 1.51) participated. The vignettes followed a 5 × 4 within subject design to depict different types of support (No Support, Emotional, Appraisal, Informational, Instrumental) across different cyberbullying forms (Verbal, Visual, Exclusion, Impersonation). This study also aims to examine how self-reported perceptions of school climate influences disclosure intentions after being provided with support. Several multiple regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of intentions to disclose. The results found that each support type increased intent to disclose in comparison to no support. Disclosure intentions increased when teacher support was provided for severe cyberbullying incidents, but disclosure intentions decreased when teacher support was provided for less severe cyberbullying incidents. Furthermore, disclosure intentions are higher among those who identify as female and have higher school climate scores. These findings highlight how the House (1981) framework can be applied to increase adolescents' intentions to disclose cyber-victimization experiences to their teachers, which has the potential to break the cycle of non-disclosure observed in youth, increase teacher competency to intervene, and boost adolescents’ confidence in their teachers.

Willingness to self-disclose cyber victimization to friends or parents: Gender differences in cyber victimization a year later

As computer access and use continue to expand for increasingly younger children, online social settings will continue to provide a prominent platform for children to experience victimization. Of particular interest to the present research was children’s (222 children, boys = 105; girls = 117) willingness to tell a friend and willingness to tell a parent about experiences of cyber victimization (Grades 3 and 4). This self-disclosure was then examined in relation to cyber victimization a year later (Grades 4 and 5), controlling for initial levels of cyber victimization at Time 1 and cyber usage at Time 1 and Time 2. For boys, willingness to tell a friend at Time 1 about cyber victimization was associated with less cyber victimization at Time 2 than not being willing to tell a friend. For girls, willingness to tell a parent at Time 1 about cyber victimization was associated with less cyber victimization at Time 2 than not being willing to tell a parent. These findings underscore the possible importance of willingness to self-disclose as a coping strategy to reduce future incidences of cyber victimization and highlight the complexity of this strategy in terms of gender and nature of social support.

Understanding the role of emotion regulation strategies in cybervictimization and cyberaggression over time: It is basically your fault!

Adolescents involved in experiences of cybervictimization and cyberbullying are at increased risk of psychological maladjustment and ill-being. However, not all adolescents involved in cyberbullying roles experience similar consequences and cognitive emotion regulation (CER) might be a key factor. Despite growing interest in the role CER strategies play in cyberbullying behaviours, little is known about the predictive utility of these strategies in predicting cybervictimization and cyberbullying over time. Therefore, the aim of this prospective study was to test the incremental predictive validity of specific CER strategies in cybervictimization and cyberbullying in a sample of adolescents. To this end, data were collected in two waves four months apart from a sample of 841 adolescents (466 females) aged 12 to 18 (MageT1 = 13.77, SDT1 = 1.34; MageT2 = 13.71, SDT2 = 1.31). Participants filled out a set of questionnaires measuring cybervictimization, cyberbullying, and CER strategies. Main results showed blaming others as the unique strategy showing incremental predictive value to both cybervictimization and cyberbullying four months later, above and beyond previous cybervictimization and cyberbullying experiences. Overall, the results highlighted the need to account for CER strategies, such as blaming others, in relation to the potential initiation and development of cyberbullying and cybervictimization behaviours. These findings suggest possible future avenues for intervention efforts targeting the maintenance of online aggressive behaviours and victimization across time.

Online Racism and Mental Health Among Black American Adolescents in 2020.

To determine whether rates of online racial discrimination changed over the course of 2020 and their longitudinal effects on Black youths' mental health. This longitudinal study collected 18,454 daily assessments from a nationally representative sample of 602 Black and White adolescents in the United States (58% Black, 42% White; mean age= 15.09 years, SD= 1.56 years) across 58 days during the heightened racial tensions between March and November2020. Black youths experienced increases in online racial discrimination, and these increases were not fully explained by time spent online or by general cybervictimization experiences. Online racial discrimination predicted poorer same-day and next-day mental health among Black youths but not among White youths. Black youths' mental health did not predict their online racial discrimination experiences. Online racial discrimination has implications for shaping mental health disparities that disadvantage Black youths relative to their White peers. Programs can be implemented to decrease online hate crimes, and health providers (eg, pediatricians, psychiatrists) should develop procedures that mitigate the negative mental health effects following online racial discrimination experiences.

Mediating role of moral disengagement in the perpetration of cyberbullying by victims and bystanders.

Proliferation of internet use in adolescence has resulted in an increase in cyberbullying. Previous experiences of cyber victimization and cyber bystanding are commonly linked with cyberbullying perpetration, allowing the bullying cycle to persist. Moral disengagement is one factor that may facilitate victims and bystanders to later perpetrate cyberbullying. The process occurs through enlistment of justificatory strategies to enable individuals to perpetrate without feeling remorse. The present study investigates the potential role of moral disengagement in the perpetration of cyberbullying by victims and bystanders. Young people (N = 563, Mage = 13.52, SD = 1.04) recruited from Australian schools completed a cross-sectional self-report survey comprising of validated measures of moral disengagement, and involvement in cyberbullying across different roles (perpetration, victimization, and bystanding). Findings indicated that moral disengagement significantly mediated the link between victimization and perpetration, and between bystanding and perpetration. Specifically, victims and bystanders engage in cyber perpetration through enlisting moral disengagement strategies. Moral disengagement may, therefore, be one factor that mediates the association between cyber victimization and cyber bystanding, and cyber perpetration. Understanding mechanisms by which victims and bystanders engage in perpetration have implications for supporting victims and bystanders in antibullying strategies to minimize the occurrence of cyber perpetration.

Characterization of Cyberbullying Victimization and Perpetration Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain.

Cyberbullying is an extremely damaging form of interpersonal violence. Little is yet known about cyberbullying behaviors in the child and youth population during the COVID-19 pandemic and what effect this reduction in face-to-face social interactions has had on an increase in socialization via the Internet and cyberbullying. The present study is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in young people between the ages of 12 and 27 years attending two secondary schools in southern Spain (N = 733) to examine differences regarding sociodemographic characteristics, academic performance, and digital device use (independent variables) in the experiences of cybervictimization, cyberperpetration, and adverse psychological effects (dependent variables). Logistic regression models were constructed for each of the dependent variables including the independent variables mentioned above. More than 50 percent of the sample were victims of cyberbullying. Females and the LGBTIQ+ Community were at greater risk of being cybervictims and suffer adverse psychological effects. A total of 22.8 percent of the students reported having been victims and 26.5 percent perpetrators of cyberbullying for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic, but no other major differences were observed. These findings point out that cyberbullying must be prioritized in public policy as part of an overall strategy for combating violence in childhood and adolescence, as well as gender-based and discriminatory violence.

Personal and Witnessed Cyber Victimization Experiences Among Adolescents at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Personal experiences with cyber victimization among adolescents have been consistently associated with well-being problems. Few studies have examined the impact of witnessing cyber victimization on adolescent well-being. The current study examines adolescents’ personal and witnessed experiences with cyber victimization during the beginning stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The main aim of the study is to test whether witnessing cyber victimization incidents among peers strengthens or weakens the association between personal cyber victimization incidents and adolescents’ feelings of anxiety. Adolescents from the United States were recruited via social media site advertisements. An online survey was completed by 992 adolescents (Mage = 16.09, SD = 1.24) from ethnically diverse backgrounds (49% White, 18% Asian/Asian-American, 14% Latinx, 9% Black/African-American, and 10% Other). The key results revealed a significant moderating role of witnessed cyber victimization incidents. Among adolescents who witnessed low levels of cyberbullying, the more they were personally cyber victimized, the higher their levels of anxiety. However, for adolescents who witnessed higher levels of cyberbullying incidents, the association between personal cyber victimization and anxiety was not significant. The findings suggest that adolescents who personally experience cyber victimization may feel less alone in their plight and thus, less anxious if they also witness others being targeted online.

Outcomes of Cyber-Victimization and Bystander Reactions in Online Brand Communities

ABSTRACT Online brand communities such as Facebook fan pages show an increasing level of cyber-victimization, which is where a community member is bullied by another member. Based on the cyber-victimization literature in psychology, we designed an experiment that explores how cyber-victimization affects three commercial outcomes, namely, a victim’s positive word-of-mouth intentions, community satisfaction, and community following intentions. Using a survey of 387 community members with past cyber-victimization experiences, our results show that outcomes differ significantly in relation to the severity of cyber-victimization (severe vs. mild) and the reactions (defending vs. reinforcing vs. pretending) from bystanders (i.e., uninvolved community members who witness the cyber-victimization incident). Our findings offer brand managers a better understanding of the undesirable effects of cyber-victimization in online brand communities, and of the type of reactions from bystanders that they may wish to encourage.

Describing Disclosure of Cybervictimization in Adolescents from the United Kingdom: The Role of Age, Gender, Involvement in Cyberbullying, and Time Spent Online

ABSTRACT Disclosing experiences of cybervictimization is an important first step in many anti-bullying interventions. Gender, age, cybervictimization experiences, cyberbullying behaviors, and time spent online were examined as factors that describe: (a) disclosing cybervictimization and (b) perceptions of helpfulness following disclosure. The sample comprised 750 (384 boys and 365 girls, M age = 12.57 years, SD age = 1.25 years) 11- to 15-year-olds recruited from two schools. Participants completed self-report measures of cybervictimization experiences, cyberbullying behaviors, intent to disclose cybervictimization, who they thought would be helpful following disclosing cybervictimization, and technology use. Over 88% of the sample reported that they would disclose cybervictimization. Girls and those experiencing low levels of cybervictimization reported they would disclose cybervictimization. Those who were older, and girls reported that they thought friends would be helpful following a disclosure of cybervictimization, whereas those who were younger reported that parents and the police would be helpful. A Gaussian graphical model was used to further explore perceptions of helpfulness following disclosure of cybervictimization and highlighted a complex pattern between targets. The findings add to the growing evidence of the complexity around adolescents’ propensity to disclose experiences of cybervictimization which has implications for anti-bullying interventions.

Cybervictimization and well-being among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating roles of emotional self-efficacy and emotion regulation

Cybervictimization has been linked to adverse psychological consequences but little is known about the mechanisms linking cybervictimization to lower well-being. We conducted two studies to examine emotional self-efficacy and distinct emotion regulation strategies as potential mediators in the relationship between cybervictimization and lower well-being among German adolescents during the school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. In Study 1, 107 adolescents (Mage = 15.76) reported their cybervictimization frequency, emotional self-efficacy beliefs, and aspects of well-being (i.e., self-esteem, perceived social support, and subjective well-being during the COVID-19 related school closures). Emotional self-efficacy mediated the link between cybervictimization and all well-being measures. Specifically, cybervictimization was related to lower well-being through lower self-efficacy for managing negative emotions. For further examination, in Study 2, 205 adolescents (Mage = 15.45) were asked to report their cybervictimization experiences, use of specific emotion regulation strategies (rumination, reappraisal, and suppression), and well-being (i.e., self-esteem and life satisfaction). Cybervictimization was related to lower well-being through more rumination, but not through reappraisal or suppression. Taken together, our findings suggest that cybervictims may have lower emotional self-efficacy beliefs and engage in more rumination, a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy. These deficits in adolescents’ beliefs and capabilities for effectively managing negative emotions may be accountable for the adverse psychological consequences of cybervictimization. Notably, exploratory analyses suggest that cybervictimization frequency did not increase among adolescents during the lockdown (e.g., homeschooling, social distancing) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Too Connected to Being Connected? Adolescents' Social Media Emotional Investment Moderates the Association between Cybervictimization and Internalizing Symptoms.

This study examined whether the association between cybervictimization and internalizing symptoms was moderated by adolescents' emotional connectedness to their social media. Participants were 288 adolescents (54.9% male participants) with (n = 151) and without (n = 137) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) between the ages of 13 and 15years (M = 14.09, SD = 0.36). Adolescents reported on social integration and emotional connection (SIEC) to social media and parents reported on their impression of their adolescent's SIEC to social media. Adolescents also reported on cybervictimization experiences and internalizing symptoms. Adolescents with ADHD had higher cybervictimization scores than adolescents without ADHD and were also more likely to report multiple experiences of cybervictimization over the past month. Emotional investment in social media moderated the relations between cybervictimization and internalizing symptoms such that cybervictimization was associated with higher anxiety and depression symptoms at higher levels of emotional investment in social media. Results were consistent across both parent and adolescent report of social integration and emotional connection to social media. These findings indicate that cybervictimization may be associated with negative outcomes specifically among adolescents with a strong emotional connection to their social media use.

Varying Experiences of Cyber Victimization among Middle and High School Students.

BackgroundAlthough cyber victimization (CV) occurs in both middle school (MS) and high school (HS)—and these experiences appear to differ between boys and girls—to our knowledge, no studies have directly examined these differences across specific acts of CV. Further, limited research has examined school environment factors, such as school safety and attachment, as they relate to CV.ObjectivesThe current study compared CV experiences reported by boys and girls in both MS and HS as well as examined CV’s association with perceived school safety and school attachment.MethodParticipants were 286 MS and 304 HS students (52% boys) from a small, rural Midwestern community in the United States. Self-reported measures were collected.ResultsHS girls reported experiencing more CV than MS girls on 5 of the 6 CV acts examined. Additionally, HS girls reported experiencing more CV on 3 of the acts compared to MS boys. In general, HS boys and HS girls report similar rates of CV, with the exception of HS girls experiencing higher levels of “people saying mean and nasty things about them.” Regression analyses indicated that youth who report higher CV feel less connected to school, but their CV experiences do not appear to be related their perceived school safety when also considering traditional forms of victimization.ConclusionsCV experiences are higher for HS girls for the majority of different types of CV acts compared to MS youth but similar to HS boys, and experiencing these acts is associated with less school connectedness.

Cybervictimization and adjustment in late childhood: Moderating effects of social sensitivity

The present study examined the moderating effects of social sensitivity in the relations between cybervictimization and school and psychological adjustment in Chinese children. Participants were 577 elementary school students in fifth and sixth grades (287 boys; Mage = 11 years) in Sichuan, China. Self-report data were collected on cybervictimization, social sensitivity, and psychological adjustment (social anxiety and loneliness). Teachers rated children on school competence, and data on academic achievement was obtained from school records. The results indicated that cybervictimization was negatively associated with teacher-rated school competence and academic achievement and positively associated with loneliness, mainly for children with high social sensitivity. Children with low social sensitivity were relatively unsusceptible to the experiences of cybervictimization. The results suggest that parents, teachers, and professionals should pay particular attention to the school and psychological adjustment of cybervictimized and socially sensitive children.

Effects of victimization experience, gender, and empathic distress on bystanders’ intervening behavior in cyberbullying

ABSTRACT Cyberbullying often occurs in the presence of bystanders, and these individuals play an influential role in easing negative outcomes of cyberbullying by engaging in intervening behavior. This study identifies and examines adult bystanders’ personal victimization experiences with cyberbullying as well as gender and empathic distress as key predictors of their intervening behavior. Findings from a nationally representative survey (N = 2,888) revealed that bystanders with cybervictimization experiences were more likely to engage in helping behavior when witnessing cyberbullying than those without. There were also gender differences in reactive behaviors of bystanders; women were more willing to intervene while men tended to remain passive. Furthermore, empathic distress evoked by witnessing cyberbullying was positively related to bystander intervention.

School and Cybervictimization Across High School: Normative Developmental Trajectories and Bidirectional Links with Loneliness.

The current study examines normative developmental trajectories of school and cybervictimization across 3years of high school and tests whether school and cybervictimization experiences predict increases in loneliness at school or whether loneliness at school increases the risk of victimization. Gender differences are also explored. Data were drawn from a longitudinal sample of 4,339 ethnically diverse U.S. adolescents (Mage =15.02) who completed surveys in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades. Whereas school victimization decreased, cybervictimization increased across high school. School-based victimization and loneliness were bidirectionally related across time (controlling for cybervictimization), but cybervictimization and loneliness were not related (controlling for school victimization). The findings provide a nuanced account of the associations between school and cybervictimization with feelings of isolation at school.

The Analysis of Teachers’ Cyber Bullying, Cyber Victimization and Cyber Bullying Sensitivity Based On Various Variables

&lt;p&gt;In recent years, cyberbullying, which can be considered as a new form of bullying, has emerged as a result of developments in the field of technology and communication. Cyberbullying has become a social problem which has affected individuals’ lives negatively. The key to success in the elimination of cyberbullying and its negative effects lies in cyberbullying sensitivity. The present study aims to analyze teachers’ cyberbullying and cyber victimization experiences and levels of cyberbullying sensitivity based on some variables which are supposed to develop awareness regarding cyberbullying. Using survey as a research model, the present study focused on 346 teachers working at schools affiliated with Ministry of National Education in Tasova District located in Amasya (Turkey). “Personal Information Form”, “The Revised Cyberbullying Inventory for University Students” and “Cyberbullying Sensitivity Scale” were used as data collection tools. SPSS package program was used for data analysis and frequency and percentage values of demographic variables. Independent T test was used for gender and marital status variables, and One-Way ANOVA test was used for age and level of education variables. The findings of the present study revealed that most of the participants used social media websites actively and spent at least 2 or 3 hours on these websites on a daily basis. Teachers usually have a Facebook and/or Instagram account, and benefit from social media for research purposes and playing games. It can be stated that teachers have a significantly high level of cyberbullying sensitivity. However, it was also indicated that even though participants worked as a teacher, they still did cyberbully and suffered from cyber victimization in the past. While a significant difference was observed only in the dimension of cyber sensitivity in terms of marital status, age and level of education, a significant difference wasn’t observed in the dimensions of cyberbullying, cyber victimization and cyber sensitivity in terms of gender.&lt;/p&gt;