Anxiety and cyberbullying in primary school students: Unraveling the mediating role of attitudes towards cyberbullying

• In Event: Poster Session 2
  In Poster Session: Anxiety and cyberbullying in primary school students: Unraveling the mediating role of attitudes towards cyberbullying

Proposal

Children and adolescents increasingly spend leisure time on social networks, smartphones, and computer games, which rank among their preferred activities (Falikman, 2021; Suter et al., 2023). Representative surveys such as the JIM Study in Germany (Feierabend et al., 2023) and the JAMES Study in Switzerland (Külling et al., 2022) reveal a continuous growth in media device ownership and changing media usage among youth. Current data from Switzerland indicate that 11- to 15-year-olds spend an average of 4.5 hours on screens during school days and nearly 8 hours on weekends (Delgrande Jordan & Masseroni, 2020). These usage levels significantly exceed the widely recommended threshold of a maximum of two hours per day for recreational screen activities (Marciano et al., 2021). Social media influences adolescent’s routines: many start their mornings on platforms, structure activities around connectivity, and end with a final check or post (Frison & Eggermont, 2015).
Based on a representative sample of Swiss children under the age of twelve, the MIKE study (Suter et al., 2023) offers systematic insights into media use patterns. Digital transformation has shifted interactions to chat platforms enabling connectivity but posing risks like social exclusion, aggression, and bullying (e.g., Berne et al., 2013; Sticca et al., 2013). The findings of the study reveal notable concerns associated with media use, indicating that approximately 26% of children observed cyberbullying, 15% were directly affected. Cyberbullying has increasingly become a focus of concern at both national and international levels (Fenaughty & Harré, 2013; Pieschl & Porsch, 2014). However, empirical research on this topic is still limited, especially within Switzerland and the wider German-speaking region.
The present study examines (1) the occurrence of cyberbullying experiences among Swiss primary school students in grades 5 and 6, (2) their attitudes towards cyberbullying, and (3) how anxiety and attitudes towards cyberbullying are linked to active perpetration behaviors. The study sample consisted of 906 primary school students across 14 primary schools in the canton of Bern, which participated in a questionnaire survey conducted in spring 2024 (M=11.3 years, SD=.82; 446 girls, 460 boys). For analytical purposes, four roles were distinguished: (a) observers (bystanders), (b) victims, (c) perpetrators, and (d) students occupying both victim and perpetrator positions in cyberbullying. Attitudes toward cyberbullying were measured with five items adapted from Biedermann et al. (2018) (g-factor-model; model-fit: χ²=7.45; df=5; p=.00; CFI=.99; RMSEA=.02; SRMR=.02).
According to the findings, between 2% and 20% of primary school students reported encountering cyberbullying, ranging from witnessing incidents to active involvement (Observers: 20%, Perpetrators: 4%, Victims: 11.7%, Both: 2.1%). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), a mediation framework was specified with anxiety serving as the independent variable, attitudes toward cyberbullying as the mediator, and active participation as the dependent variable. The analysis showed that anxiety was positively linked to attitudes toward cyberbullying (β=.23, p<.001). These attitudes predicted active involvement in cyberbullying behavior (β=.33, p<.001). Moreover, anxiety exerted both a direct influence on active participation (β=.09, p<.05) and an indirect effect mediated by attitudes (β=.08, p<.01). The overall effect of anxiety on participation reached β=.16 (p<.001).

Authors

• Amina Kadic

• Arvid Nagel

• Felix Kruse, St. Gallen University of Teacher Education

• Horst Biedermann, St.Gallen University of Teacher Education