Original article
Adolescent Predictors of Young Adult Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization Among Australian Youth

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.04.014Get rights and content

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the current article was to examine the adolescent risk and protective factors (at the individual, peer group, and family level) for young adult cyberbullying perpetration and victimization.

Methods

Data from 2006 (Grade 9) to 2010 (young adulthood) were analyzed from a community sample of 927 Victorian students originally recruited as a statewide representative sample in Grade 5 (age, 10–11 years) in 2002 and followed-up to age 18–19 years in 2010 (N = 809). Participants completed a self-report survey on adolescent risk and protective factors and traditional and cyberbullying perpetration and victimization and young adult cyberbullying perpetration and victimization.

Results

As young adults, 5.1% self-reported cyberbullying perpetration only, 5.0% reported cyberbullying victimization only, and 9.5% reported both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. In fully adjusted logistic regression analyses, the adolescent predictors of cyberbullying perpetration only were traditional bullying perpetration, traditional bullying perpetration and victimization, and poor family management. For young adulthood cyberbullying victimization only, the adolescent predictor was emotion control. The adolescent predictors for young adult cyberbullying perpetration and victimization were traditional bullying perpetration and cyberbullying perpetration and victimization.

Conclusions

Based on the results of this study, possible targets for prevention and early intervention are reducing adolescent involvement in (traditional or cyber) bullying through the development of social skills and conflict resolution skills. In addition, another important prevention target is to support families with adolescents to ensure that they set clear rules and monitor adolescents' behavior. Universal programs that assist adolescents to develop skills in emotion control are warranted.

Section snippets

Predictors of cyberbullying perpetration and victimization

In the current article, the predictors of young adult cyberbullying perpetration and victimization are referred to as prospective “risk” or “protective” factors. A risk factor increases the likelihood of a person developing poor outcomes or problematic behaviors such as bullying [11]. Protective factors both directly decrease the likelihood of antisocial behavior [12] and mediate or moderate the influence of risk factors [13]. Bronfenbrenner [14] ecological systems theory emphasizes the

Participants

The sample for this study comprised Victorian students from the International Youth Development Study (IYDS), a longitudinal study of antisocial and prosocial behaviors among adolescents in Victoria, Australia, and Washington State, United States. The original sampling and recruitment for the IYDS has been described elsewhere [34]. Briefly, the IYDS used a two-stage cluster sampling approach: (1) random selection of public and private schools stratified according to geographic location, using a

Sample characteristics

In Grade 9, 809 (87.3%) completed the survey with another 60 (6.5%) contacted and 58 (6.3%) lost to follow-up. In young adulthood, 804 (86.7%) completed the survey with a further 73 (7.9%) contacted and 50 (5.4%) lost to follow-up. Attrition analyses revealed that students who no longer remained in the study in 2010 reported higher scores on academic failure, low school commitment, and association with antisocial friends than students remaining in the study in 2010. In general, the results in

Discussion

The present study examined the adolescent predictors (age, 14–15 years) of young adult (age, 18–19 years) cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Results showed that the predictors of cyberbullying perpetration in young adulthood were Grade 9 traditional bullying perpetration, traditional bullying perpetration and victimization, and poor family management. For cyberbullying victimization, one adolescent predictor was found, emotion control. The predictors of the cyberbullying perpetration

Acknowledgments

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the National Institute of Health. The authors wish to express their appreciation and thanks to project staff and participants for their valuable contribution to the project.

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