Unique and interactive effects of guilt and sympathy on bystander aggressive defender intervention in cyberbullying: The mediation of self-regulation

Exploring how social media usage shapes self-presentation strategies among Saudi young adults

The rise of social networking sites (SNS) has changed how young people present themselves online to present idealized versions of their identities. These platforms enable selective self-presentation, shaped by features like anonymity and audience feedback. Especially in collectivist societies like Saudi Arabia, socio-cultural norms remain an effective factor, affecting online behaviors and leading to anonymous or semi-anonymous interactions. Despite the growing reliance on social networks, limited research addressed how these factors impact self-presentation strategies. This study examines how self-presentation on social media is affected by usage patterns among young adults in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Using structured surveys, quantitative data are gathered from a sample of 715 young adults living countrywide. Results revealed that exemplification, ingratiation, and self-promotion are the most commonly used self-presentation strategies among Saudi youth. Negative usage patterns and a high number of followers used these strategies more frequently. Users disclosing users' identities supported exemplification, reflecting cultural influences on online behaviors. Besides, increased time spent on social media was linked with greater use of all self-presentation strategies, highlighting potential risks to psychological well-being, i.e., anxiety and low self-esteem. Findings suggested a strong association between digital behaviors, audience dynamics, and impression management in a collectivist cultural context. Finally, cultural and clinical implications are presented, and limitations are highlighted.

Cyberbullying roles and psychosocial dynamics: a latent profile analysis of loneliness, resilience, and self-regulation in adolescents

Participation in cyberbullying roles is associated with distinct psychosocial profiles and may contribute to adverse mental health outcomes. Despite its importance, research has yet to fully explore the latent profiles associated with cyberbullying roles and their interplay with psychosocial factors among adolescents. This study explores the roles of cyberbullies, cyber victims, and cyber bystanders among adolescents, using latent profile analysis (LPA) to uncover the connections between these roles and psychosocial variables, including loneliness, resilience, and self-regulation. The study involved 394 adolescents, including 246 women and 148 men, with an average age of 15.8 years (SD = 1.04). The LPA revealed three profiles: low-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk groups. The low-risk group (%64.1), characterized by minimal involvement in cyberbullying roles, had the highest levels of resilience and self-regulation and the lowest levels of loneliness. In contrast, those in the moderate-risk group (%27.8) showed moderate involvement in all cyberbullying roles, the highest levels of loneliness, and the lowest levels of resilience and self-regulation. The high-risk group (%8.2) demonstrated significant engagement across all cyberbullying roles and moderate levels of loneliness, resilience, and self-regulation. These findings underscore the protective role of resilience and self-regulation against cyberbullying, with loneliness as a potential risk factor, particularly for the moderate-risk group. In addition to highlighting the need for interventions that enhance resilience and self-regulation to prevent cyberbullying, the present study suggests that further research into the role of loneliness in cyberbullying profiles could provide valuable insights, inspiring future studies and furthering our understanding of this multifaceted issue.

Moral disengagement as mediator and guilt as moderator between cyber moral literacy and cyberbullying among late adolescents

The rapid growth of internet usage has led to increased cyberbullying among adolescents, with varying rates reported across countries. This study aimed to investigate the impact of cyber moral literacy on cyberbullying among late adolescents, examining both the mediating role of moral disengagement and the moderating effect of guilt on the relationship between cyber moral literacy and cyberbullying. Data were collected from 7837 late adolescent students (aged 18-21 years) at four universities in Sichuan Province, China. Scales measuring cyber moral literacy, cyberbullying, moral disengagement, and guilt were employed. Structural Equation Modeling was used to test hypothesized relationships. Cyber moral literacy showed a strong negative association with cyberbullying. The relationship between cyber moral literacy and cyberbullying was partially mediated by moral disengagement. Additionally, guilt moderated the direct relationship between cyber moral literacy and cyberbullying, with this negative relationship being stronger among individuals with high guilt compared to those with low guilt. The study highlights the complex interplay of moral, cognitive, and emotional factors in adolescent online behavior. The findings suggest that enhancing cyber moral literacy could be particularly effective in reducing cyberbullying, especially among individuals who experience higher levels of guilt. Additionally, addressing moral disengagement mechanisms could help strengthen the preventive effect of cyber moral literacy on cyberbullying. These insights contribute to our understanding of creating a more harmonious online environment for late adolescents.

Bullying and Cyberbullying in School: Rapid Review on the Roles of Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Self-Regulation

This study aims to assist decision-making in anti-bullying interventions by highlighting the importance of positive factors such as gratitude, forgiveness, and self-regulation in mitigating the negative impacts of bullying/cyberbullying. The objective was to examine and synthesize available evidence on the impact of gratitude, forgiveness, and self-regulation practices in the school context regarding bullying/cyberbullying phenomena. Three databases were consulted (Web of Science, Scopus, and Scielo), and the results include 14 articles. The three character strengths were associated with psychological well-being, life and school satisfaction, improved mental health, increased likelihood of engaging in pro-social behavior, and reduced involvement in bullying/cyberbullying situations. These strengths have the potential to enhance overall well-being and decrease risk behaviors, leading to more positive outcomes in experiences of violence. These results underscore the importance of considering students' individual strengths and the possible interventions to promote healthy school environments.

Restorative Parental Discipline and Types of Defending Bystander Intervention in Cyberbullying: The Mediate Role of Justice Sensitivity

Parental socialization strategies are critical in explaining adolescents' online behavior. This study examined the relationships between parental restorative discipline, observed justice sensitivity, and cyber-bystander defender intervention (constructive and aggressive) in cyberbullying. The sample comprised 900 Mexican adolescents (40.2% male and 58.8% female), of which 450 were from secondary school (M age = 13.6, SD = 0.8) and 450 were from high school (M age = 15.4, SD = 1.3). Structural equation modeling with latent variables was performed. Overall, the results indicate that parental restorative discipline positively relates to the observer's justice sensitivity and the adoption of constructive interventions by cyber-bystander defenders. However, restorative discipline had no significant direct relationship with aggressive intervention. Observers' justice sensitivity mediates the association between restorative parenting discipline and aggressive or constructive defender interventions. Gender does not moderate the relationship proposed in the structural model. These findings suggest that parental restorative discipline explains constructive and aggressive cyber-bystander defender interventions in cyberbullying.

Dispositional mindfulness plays a major role in adolescents' active and passive responding to bully-victim dynamics

Past research on school bullying focused on the role of the bully, suggesting that this active perpetrator is characterized by low empathy, low self-regulation, and high moral disengagement (MD). Studies recently demonstrated a relationship between dispositional mindfulness and bullying as well. However, in the last 2 decades, research has broadened this perspective, suggesting that active and passive bystanders may play a major role in school bullying by either supporting or opposing bullying. In this research, we examined whether empathy, MD, self-regulation, and mindfulness are significantly associated with probullying, defending, and bystanding behaviors. A total of 429 middle and high school adolescents from Israel (mean age = 16.81 years, SD = 1.62) completed online questionnaires. Through structural equation modeling, we found that empathy was associated with both, self-regulation and defending behaviors. MD was associated with defending and probullying behaviors. Dispositional mindfulness was associated with all three roles we examined. All these relationships were significant and in the expected direction. As mindfulness is a disposition that can be cultivated, this finding may have further implications in programs that aim at reducing school bullying.

Community Violence Exposure and Bullying in Mexican Adolescents. The Mediating Role of Moral Emotions

Community characteristics can explain differences in bullying rates between schools. Underpinned by the social-ecological model, this study examined the relationships among community violence exposure (CVE), moral emotions (guilt and sympathy), and bullying in adolescents. We also explored the moderating role of gender in these relationships. The sample included 915 adolescents (48.6% female and 51.4% male) aged 11-16 (M age = 13.76, SD = 0.82). Students responded to the self-report measures. We used a latent variable structural equation modeling (SEM) approach to examine the relationships between variables. The SEM indicated that CVE was negatively associated with moral emotions (guilt and sympathy) and positively associated with bullying. In addition, CVE had a negative indirect association with bullying through their negative relationship with moral emotions. The structural model is equivalent for both genders, suggesting gender does not moderate these relationships. These findings indicate that CVE are associated with differences in school bullying rates.

Is it my fault? The role of the feeling of guilt in adolescent peer victimization

Introduction

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between feelings of guilt, peer victimization in school, and loneliness based on adolescents' gender.

Methods

A total of 671 Spanish students (50.7% boys), aged 10-16 years old (M = 13.04, SD = 1.80) from six public primary and secondary schools participated in the study. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (3 × 2) was calculated.

Results

Adolescents with high levels of guilt presented greater physical, verbal, and relational victimization, as well as higher levels of loneliness. In addition, boys high in guilt had the highest scores in overt physical victimization, while girls high in guilt had the highest levels of loneliness.

Discussion

Results obtained suggest that adolescents with greater feelings of guilt feel responsible for being victims of peer aggression and for feeling lonely. These findings suggest the need to address the feeling of guilt, taking into account the gender perception.

Exploring Multivariate Profiles of Psychological Distress and Empathy in Early Adolescent Victims, Bullies, and Bystanders Involved in Cyberbullying Episodes

(1) Background: Adolescents may be involved in cyberbullying as victims, perpetrators, or to a lesser extent, victim-perpetrators simultaneously. The present research investigated differences between participants acting in different bullying roles-namely, bully, victim, or bully/victim-and bystander roles-namely, defending, passive bystander, and passive/defending; (2) Methods: We used multivariate analysis of covariance to determine how, in the same individuals, direct involvement in cyberbullying episodes compares to participating in them as by-standers in relation to both psychological distress and empathy; (3) Results: Both victims and bully/victims were found to be at increased risk for suicidal ideation, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and emotional dysregulation compared with students who were neither victims nor perpetrators of cyberbullying episodes. Additionally, victims showed higher empathy scores when compared with bullies and bully/victims. All bystander roles showed increased emotional dysregulation compared with uninvolved students, but no differences emerged on other psychological distress measures. Finally, defending bystanders showed increased cognitive empathy. (4) Conclusions: During early adolescence, the direct experience of cyberbullying, as a bully or a victim (or both), show a stronger association with psychological distress than the mere participation in cyberbullying as a witness, regardless of the witness acting defensive toward the victim, or passive. However, both cyberbullying and bystanding roles provide a similar (small) explicative power over empathy variables.

Serious Game-based Psychosocial Intervention to Foster Prosociality in Cyberbullying Bystanders

Bystanders of cyberbullying play an important role in the resolution of such situations and therefore, it is beneficial to promote self-regulation strategies that enable them to engage in prosocial behavior in these contexts. We propose that serious game-based psychosocial interventions with profile-based social agents can encourage prosocial bystander behavior in cyberbullying. A pilot quasi-experimental study with repeated and pre/post measurements was performed. We randomly assigned 194 7th and 8th graders to three conditions, namely experimental condition (n = 103, M_age = 13.91, SD = 1.02, 53.3% male); alternative condition (n = 37, M_age = 14, SD = 0.86, 54.1% female) and control condition (n = 54, M_age = 13.92, SD = 0.85, 50.9% female). An analysis of covariance showed that players revealed higher levels of prosocial assertive behavior when compared to other participants. Through multilevel modelling of longitudinal log-file data, we found that those who did not experience the game tended to interpret the cyberbullying situations more as non-serious, avoid assuming responsibility for intervening, and engage in aggressive behavior toward the victim. Players tended to support more and were less aggressive with victims from their in-group than those from the out-group. Insights for the development of games to promote prosocial behavior in bystanders of cyberbullying are presented.