Psychological Development and Education ›› 2020, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (2): 216-227.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2020.02.11

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The Relationship between Adolescent Cybervictimization and Cyberbullying: A Moderated Mediated Model

WANG Qianqian1,2, FAN Cuiying1,2, CHU Xiaowei1,2   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079;
    2. School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079
  • Published:2020-03-19

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Abstract: To explore the psychological mechanism of cyberbullying in adolescents, the present study constructed a moderated mediation model based on General Stress Theory and Emotional Regulation Model. Seven hundreds and twenty-four junior high school students from a middle school in Wuhan, China, were investigated to examine this hypothetical model. They were asked to complete cyberbullying scale, social anxiety scale and emotional regulation scale. The results showed that:(1) Cybervictimization was positively correlated with social anxiety and cyberbullying, social anxiety was positively correlated with cyberbullying, cognitive reappraisal was negatively correlated with social anxiety, and expression inhibition was positively correlated with cyberbullying; (2) Cybervictimization was not only directly predicted cyberbullying, but also indirectly predicted cyberbullying through social anxiety; (3) The mediation effects of social anxiety was moderated by emotional regulation strategies. Especially, the mediation effect is stronger for individuals with low cognitive reappraisal or high expression inhibition. The results not only explain how the vicious circle of cyberbullying occurs and under what conditions the effect is greater, but also provide an important evidence for reducing the occurrence of cyberbullying.

Key words: cybervictimization, cyberbullying, social anxiety, cognitive reappraisal, expression inhibition, adolescents

CLC Number: 

  • B844
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