Who Are the Victims of Cyberbullying? Preliminary Data Towards Validation of "Cyberbullying Victim Questionnaire"

Oct 15, 2026

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Literature on cyberbullying and adolescents’ perceptions of this phenomenon continues to grow, with attention to its effects on adolescents’ everyday life. The spread of COVID-19 in 2020 increased the digital presence of cyberbullying behaviors. Because cyberbullying is complex and multifactorial, this study provides preliminary data to validate a self-report questionnaire administered to 650 adolescents to assess their perceptions of cyberbullying victims.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Cyberbullying in online environments

Key features of cyberbullying

Study focus: role and representations of victims

Who Are the Victims of Cyberbullying? Preliminary Data Towards Validation of "Cyberbullying Victim Questionnaire” Mirian Agus Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, Faculty of Humanistic Studies, University of Cagliari, Italy ORCID: 0000-0001-6774-1530 Maria Lidia Mascia Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, Faculty of Humanistic Studies, University of Cagliari, Italy ORCID: 0000-0002-1998-4818 Maria Assunta Zanetti Department of Brain and Behavioural Sciences, University of Pavia, Italy ORCID: 0000-0002-5185-0270 Simona Perrone Istituto Comprensivo “Renato Moro”, Taranto, Italy ORCID: 0000-0002-2620-0727 Dolores Rollo Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Italy ORCID: 0000-0003-2506-2999 Maria Pietronilla Penna Department of Pedagogy, Psychology, Philosophy, Faculty of Humanistic Studies, University of Cagliari, Italy ORCID: 0000-0002-0982-3893 Received: 31 Jan 2021 Accepted: 5 Apr 2021 Abstract In the literature there are more and more works dealing with cyberbullying and adolescents’ perception of this phenomenon. In particular, we are interested in cyberbullying and the effects of cyberbullying on adolescent life. What is more, in 2020 the impact of COVID-19 has increased the digital presence of cyberbullying behaviours. This phenomenon is extremely complex, since it is multicomponential and multifactorial, and many components act on it. Starting with an analysis of the literature, this work offers preliminary data towards the validation of a self-reporting questionnaire; it was administered to 650 adolescents, to evaluate their perceptions of the victims of cyberbullying. The questionnaire consisted of 33 items; Principal Component Analysis was applied, which identified the dimensions resuming the items’variability. The findings confirmed the multidimensional nature of the issue covered by the questionnaire and highlighted three psychological dimensions: Internalisation, Counterbalance and Marginalisation. The results support the structure of the questionnaire, useful to quickly collect information about adolescents’perception of cybervictimisation. The assessment of this information might help teachers, educators, and tutors to formulate targeted interventions to combat the spread of cyberbullying aimed for example at improving emotional intelligence, starting from the construction of emotional contagion. Keywords: cyberbullying, adolescent representations, cybervictims, assessment INTRODUCTION While the Internet has its benefits, there has been much speculation as to whether the Internet may also be harmful to social and psychological well-being (Kraut et al., 1998; Marchant et al., 2017; Twenge et al., 2019) . Although digital communication has some indisputable and acknowledged advantages (Gross et al., 2002), these can easily turn negative and lead to risky situations (Sabella et al., 2013) . The significant advantages offered by the Internet may be accompanied by risks and dangers which children and young people often fall victim to, especially digital natives. Digital natives are significant users of new technologies who are however often unaware of the difficulties posed by the Internet (Hinduja & Patchin, 2013; Lareki et al., 2017) . Often even adults (digital immigrants) are not fully aware of the risks associated with the use of the Internet and new technologies. In particular, with the more pervasive use of technology, the phenomenon of cyberbullying has also increased (Ansary, 2020; Aoyama, 2011; Watts et al., 2017) . According to the literature (Jain et al., 2000), cyberbullying is a continuing trend mainly among adolescents and young adults. What is more, in 2020 the impact of COVID- 19 has increased individuals’ digital presence and it is speculated that the pandemic has triggered a significant rise in cyberbullying. Cyberbullying has been designated as a serious public health problem, which can dramatically affec

FAQs

What is the purpose of the study described in the abstract?

To provide preliminary data validating a self-report questionnaire that measures adolescents’ perceptions of cyberbullying victims.

How many adolescents completed the questionnaire?

The questionnaire was administered to 650 adolescents.

What main psychological dimensions were identified in the findings?

Principal Component Analysis supported a multidimensional structure and highlighted three psychological dimensions: Internalisation, Counterbalance, and Marginalisation.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by nayy☆