Perpetration and Victimization in Offline and Cyber Contexts: A Variable- and Person-Oriented Examination of Associations and Differences Regarding Domain-Specific Self-Esteem and School Adjustment

Abstract

Self-esteem has been identified as a predictor of bullying perpetration and victimization, which, in turn, may lead to school adjustment problems. However, findings regarding the direction and strength of these associations have been inconclusive. This study aimed to resolve this by differentiating between offline and cyber contexts and various self-esteem domains. An online sample of 459 adolescents retrospectively completed measures of self-esteem domains and offline/cyber perpetration and victimization, and a subsample of 194 adolescents also completed measures of loneliness and school adjustment. A mediation analysis of bullying-related variables on the effect of self-esteem domains on school adjustment indicated that offline victimization was the only significant mediator. Positive indirect effects were found for social and emotional self-esteem, and negative indirect effects were found for school performance-related self-esteem. Furthermore, person-oriented analyses examined differences in bullying-related roles regarding self-esteem domains, loneliness, and school adjustment. Victim groups showed lower self-esteem in many domains, but cyber victims showed higher body-related self-esteem. Bullies showed lower school performance-related but higher social self-esteem. Both bullies and victims showed lower school adjustment and more loneliness. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, as the findings are relevant for teachers and could be used to develop and deploy more effective anti-bullying programs.

Teachers’ Perspectives on Cyberbullying: A Cross-Cultural Study

“…At a practical level, these results can guide the development of intervention programs [ 24 ] aimed at all teachers to promote awareness of the issue of cyberbullying and its repercussions, both on a personal [ 25 , 26 ] and academic [ 27 ] level, as well as to work with families and parenting styles as a protective factor [ 28 ].…”

Psychosocial Determinants of Adolescents’ Cyberbullying Involvement—The Role of Body Satisfaction

“…Socioeconomic status (SES) was assessed using the HBSC Family Affluence Scale (FAS III), which includes six items that measure material assets in the home, such as number of vehicles, bedroom sharing, computer ownership, bathrooms at home, dishwashers at home, and family vacations [39,40]. The item scores were summed with a score from 0 to 13 and categorized into three SES groups: low (0-5), average (6)(7)(8)(9) and high (10)(11)(12)(13). In the correlation analyses family affluence (FA) variable was used as continuous variable.…”

“…The family social status (FSS) was measured by respondents' subjective assessment on the 11-rung ladder from 0 to 10 points ranking the family social status [41]. The item scores were categorized into three groups: low (0-5), average (6)(7)(8) and high (9-10).…”

“…Experts believe that consequences of cybervictimization may be more severe than those of traditional victimization [4]. Studies show various negative impacts of cyberbullying on adolescents' mental health, like suicidal thinking, depressive symptoms, loneliness, frustration, and sadness, as well as difficulties in school performance, in learning and low school achievements [5][6][7][8].…”

“…During adolescence, dramatic changes in physical, cognitive, emotional and social development occur in individuals' transition [21]. Therefore, in the literature, certain individual risk factors related to adolescents' cyberbullying have received special attention, including demographic characteristics, such as age and gender, beliefs and attributions towards self, and body-related self-esteem, social self-esteem, loneliness, problem-solving skills, and school performance and satisfaction [8,15,[22][23][24]. Body dissatisfaction has been found to be a significant reason for cyberbullying among adolescents.…”