Explaining the Victim-Offender Overlap of Cyberbullying Using Low Self-Control and Parental Bonds

Abstract

This study examined cyberbullying using a cross-sectional sample of n = 5,954 late adolescent high-school students in Arizona and had several purposes: 1. To examine the extent of the overlap of cyberbullying perpetration and victimization; 2. To examine the effects of low self-control and parental bonds on cyberbullying; and 3. To use both attitudinal and behavioral measures of low self-control as predictors. Using bivariate probit regression models, the study found an overlap between cyberbullying perpetration and victimization, with 9.1% of the sample experiencing both. For the most part, low self-control measures better predicted cyberbullying than parental bond measures. Implications for programming are discussed.