Bullying and Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization: Prospective Within-Person Associations

J Youth Adolesc. 2023 Feb;52(2):406-418. doi: 10.1007/s10964-022-01704-3. Epub 2022 Nov 17.

Abstract

Bidirectional associations between bullying and cyberbullying have consistently identified during adolescence. However, little is known about how this relationship works on the within-person level, after controlling for potential overlap at the between-person level. This study examined the bidirectional longitudinal associations between bullying and cyberbullying perpetration and victimization during 18-month period over four time points. A total of 2835 participants, aged 11 to 16 years in time 1 (50% girls; Mage = 13.13, SD = 1.06) were surveyed. Random intercept cross-lagged analyses revealed the stability of bullying perpetration and victimization. Cyberbullying victimization predicted inversely bullying and cyberbullying perpetration. The results indicate spirals of positive long-term associations between bullying (perpetration and victimization) and cyberbullying perpetration but no long-terms spirals of victimization.

Keywords: Adolescents; Bullying; Cyberbullying; Longitudinal study; Within-person.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Bullying*
  • Crime Victims*
  • Cyberbullying*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Male
  • Prospective Studies