GST in the Digital Age: The Mediating Role of Cyberdeviance in Strain Using the KCYPS

• In Event: Diverse Findings from the University of Cincinnati Cybercrime and Behavior Online Research Group (UC CYBORG)

Abstract

Drawing on Agnew's General Strain Theory (GST), the current study investigated the mediating role of cyberdeviance between strains and self-perception of strains among adolescents. It was hypothesized that cyberdeviance, akin to traditional forms of deviance in physical spaces as outlined by GST, would act as a coping mechanism for adolescents dealing with strains in academics, peer interactions, student-teacher relationships, and family dynamics. This may, in turn, influence their long-term self-perception of strains. The analyses assessed whether the digital realm offers an analogous or distinct avenue for coping with strain compared to traditional deviant behaviors in a physical place. Using data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Study (KCYPS) 2018, a longitudinal sample of Korean adolescents, the study tested the association between various types of strains and the propensity towards cyberdeviant behaviors. Overall, the findings were mixed but some key patterns emerged. The analyses contribute to the understanding of cyberdeviance as a potential contextual adaptation strategy and extend GST into the digital age. By examining the role of cyberdeviance in adolescents' coping mechanisms in response to strain, this research highlights the importance of considering digital behaviors in GST frameworks and implications for cyberdeviance prevention.

Author

• Sung Hwan Joo, University of Cincinnati