Why are People Involved in Cyberbullying? A Meta-Analysis of Factors Predicting Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization

• In Event: Negative Socioemotional Performances in Social Media

Abstract

With the increasing popularity of information and communication technologies (ICT), cyberbullying has become a critical social issue, which severely threatens children and adolescents’ physical and psychological health. This study aims to systematically examine the risk factors of cyberbullying. Specifically, this study identified nine predictors of cyberbullying perpetration and victimization, and examined the magnitude of the effects of these predictors by meta-analyzing 54 empirical studies regarding cyberbullying, which represented a total sample of 94,504 participants and yielded a data of 156 independent correlations. The results revealed that risky ICT use, moral disengagement, social norms, traditional bullying perpetration, and victimization were the main predictors of cyberbullying perpetration, while risky ICT use, moral disengagement, depression, and traditional bullying victimization were the major contributors of cyberbullying victimization. According to moderator analysis, country of the sample is a significant moderator of depression and cyberbullying victimization. Sampling procedure significantly moderated the relationship between frequency of ICT use and cyberbullying victimization. Implications for cyberbullying research were discussed.

Authors

• Liang Chen, Nanyang Technological U

• Shirley S. Ho, Nanyang Technological U

• May O. Lwin, Nanyang Technological U