Comparing factors related to school-bullying and cyber-bullying

Abstract

Purpose: To present a comparative summary of literature of the risk and preventative factors related to school bullying (SB) and cyber-bullying (CB), while identifying research gaps. Background: Literature on bullying appears to disagree whether CB should be considered as a different form of bullying or as a subtype of SB. Researchers, in an attempt to understand bullying, examined in depth numerous risk and preventive factors. Methods: Based solely on previous research papers, fourteen risk and preventative factors related to SB and likewise to CB, were selected on the basis that are most commonly indicated as strong factors in preceding works; each factor was searched for in relation to SB and CB separately, allowing a comparison of how each factor relates to SB and likewise to CB. Conclusions: Findings present a comparative picture of the factors related to SB and CB and provide a direction in the area of factors for fellow researchers wishing to develop antibullying strategies in the future. As expected the present study found that some factors are similarly related to SB as to CB, and others differentiate. Details of findings, limitations and implications are further discussed.