Psycho-Social Correlates of Cyberbullying among Polish Adolescents

Sławomir Rębisz; Aleksandra Jasińska-Maciążek; Paweł Grygiel; Roman Dolata

doi:10.3390/ijerph20085521

Psycho-Social Correlates of Cyberbullying among Polish Adolescents

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Apr 14;20(8):5521. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20085521.

Authors

Sławomir Rębisz¹, Aleksandra Jasińska-Maciążek², Paweł Grygiel³, Roman Dolata²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Education, University of Rzeszów, ul. Ks. Jałowego 24, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland.
² Faculty of Education, University of Warsaw, ul. Mokotowska 16/20, 00-561 Warsaw, Poland.
³ Institute of Education, Jagiellonian University, ul. Batorego 12, 31-135 Kraków, Poland.

Abstract

Cyberbullying has recently attracted attention due to its increasing prevalence and serious consequences for both victims and perpetrators. The objective of this population-based study was to examine the determinants of a person becoming a perpetrator of cyberbullying, including personal resources (emotional self-regulation, self-esteem, internal locus of control, optimism), social skills (prosocial behavior, assertiveness, cognitive empathy, cooperation), peer relationships (peer support, threats from peers, peer rejection, dislike of peers), and problematic Internet use (excessive Internet use, impulsive reactions to Internet deprivation). Participants (N = 541) were students at elementary schools (age 14-15) in Ostroleka, a city in central-eastern Poland. Two-part regression was used to explore protective/risk factors of the likelihood of an individual using cyberviolence (dichotomous part: involvement in violence) and how often it is used (continuous part: frequency of cyberbullying). The results showed that the emotional component is crucial to cyberbullying, as indicated by the importance of emotional self-control, which reduces the frequency of cyberbullying. Other important factors are assertiveness, impulsive response to limited Internet access (which increases the likelihood of engaging in cyberbullying) and fear of peers (which reduces its frequency). In turn, the importance of pro-sociality (which inhibits engagement) and peer support (which promotes engagement) points to the second important component of cyberbullying-that is, group mechanisms. At the same time, the results indicate that while the importance of Internet addiction as a risk factor for cyberbullying should not be underestimated, the amount of time spent online cannot be seen as the source of the problem. The study leads to the conclusion that effective interventions targeting cyberbullying should focus on the development of more adaptive styles of coping with emotions.

Keywords: adolescents; cyberbullying; cybervictimization; peer relationships; problematic Internet use; self-regulation; social skills; two-part regression model.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Bullying* / psychology
Crime Victims* / psychology
Cyberbullying* / psychology
Emotions
Humans
Internet
Poland
Surveys and Questionnaires

Grants and funding

This research was conducted as part of the Ostroleka Educational Observatory project implemented by the Faculty of Pedagogy at the University of Warsaw in cooperation with the local government of Ostroleka. The survey was funded by Ostroleka under an agreement concluded in Warsaw on 6 September 2021. The preparation of the article received financial support from the University of Rzeszow and the University of Warsaw.