Understanding the Perpetuation of Cyberbullying Victimization in Adolescents: The Role of Executive Functions

Abstract

The consequences of cyberbullying victimization can lead to its perpetuation over time, initiating a vicious cycle. Thus, it is important to identify the factors that contribute to the persistence of victimization. This study aimed to examine some longitudinal mechanisms involved in the perpetuation of cyberbullying victimization in adolescents. The secondary aim was to study the protective role of executive functions (cognitive flexibility and selective attention) in this process, filling a gap in the literature. Sex differences were also studied. The sample consisted of 698 adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age (M = 14.59, SD = 1.36; 40.83% girls) from the Basque Country (Spain). Adolescents participated in a longitudinal study with three waves, in which 5–6 months elapsed between waves. The participants completed measures of executive functions in wave 1, of cyberbullying perpetration and depressive symptoms in waves 1 and 2, and of cyberbullying victimization in all three waves. The findings indicated that cyberbullying victimization was perpetuated through an increase of cyberbullying perpetration and depressive symptoms. Concerning executive functions, cognitive flexibility attenuated the impact of cyberbullying victimization on cyberbullying perpetration and depressive symptoms, and these in turn predicted lower levels of future victimization. Sex differences revealed that selective attention acted as a risk factor for cyberbullying victimization in girls and as a protective factor in boys. The results highlight the importance of considering mediating mechanisms involved in the perpetuation of cyberbullying victimization as well as the beneficial role played by cognitive flexibility in reducing the stability of cyberbullying victimization.

Do testosterone and cortisol levels moderate aggressive responses to peer victimization in adolescents?

“…Consistent with previous research (e.g., Choi & Park, 2021;Lozano-Blasco et al, 2020;Morea & Calvete, 2022), a strong association was found between victimization and perpetration. This association was moderated by the interaction between T and C for both online and offline aggression.…”

“…Another limitation concerns the exclusive use of self-reports for the assessment of victimization and aggression measures, which could have contributed to the high association between the two variables due to shared variance. Although several studies have obtained high correlations between peer victimization and perpetration (Choi & Park, 2021;Morea & Calvete, 2022;Walters, 2021), it would be beneficial for future studies to also include reports from others (peers and teachers reports).…”

“…Many adolescents react aggressively to peer victimization (Choi & Park, 2021;Gámez-Guadix et al, 2015;Royuela-Colomer et al, 2018), which may contribute to the co-occurrence of perpetration and victimization (Hoglund & Hau, 2021;Lozano-Blasco et al, 2020;Waasdorp & Bradshaw, 2015;Walters, 2021) and to the perpetuation of victimization over time (Falla et al, 2022;Morea & Calvete, 2022). Several explanations for victims' aggressive reactions have been proposed.…”

“…Victims of peer aggression often react aggressively (Choi & Park, 2021;Walters, 2021), which contributes to the perpetuation of aggression over time (Morea & Calvete, 2022). Therefore, it is important to identify the individual factors that predict a stronger aggressive response when victimized.…”

Ciberviolencia en el noviazgo: Diferencias por edad, sexo y variables relacionadas con la victimización

“…Machado et al (2022) señalan al respecto, que los adolescentes son más propensos a sufrir diferentes tipos de ciberviolencia, puesto que son los principales usuarios de las TIC en sus actividades diarias. Por otra parte, es posible que la mayor vulnerabilidad de los adolescentes hacia la CVN, se deba a que aún se encuentran en desarrollo sus funciones ejecutivas, lo que los haría más propensos a tener dificultades para comprender y manejar las situaciones conflictivas de manera adecuada (Morea & Calvete, 2022). Además, los adolescentes son más influenciables a los comportamientos de sus pares y los que se transmiten a través de medios de comunicación y en redes sociales, por lo que es posible que perciban como normales aquellos comportamientos agresivos y de control de la pareja observados en sus pares y los que observan a través de esos medios (McLoughlin et al, 2020).…”