The cyberbullying‐cybervictimization association

Abstract

The victim-offender overlap has been widely discussed in literature. However, in the digital age, bullying has evolved from physical to online. Being a relatively new phenomenon, there is limited knowledge on the association between cyberbullying and cybervictimization, and even less knowledge on the subtypes of these behaviours. Hence, this study aims to fill the gap in current literature by exploring the association between subtypes, direct and indirect, of cyberbullying and cybervictimization. This study hypothesised that there would be a positive relationship between cyberbullying and cybervictimization, including its specific subtypes. Putative covariates, such as social media usage, social adversity, age, gender, and ethnicity, were considered. Binary logistic regression models partially supported the hypotheses. Specifically, an initial significant association between cyberbullying and cybervictimization later diminished after controlling for covariates. However, significant associations were seen between the subtypes of cyberbullying and cybervictimization, even after controlling for covariates. Particularly, individuals with prior direct cybervictimization experiences had higher odds of exhibiting direct cyberbullying behaviour. Similarly, individuals with prior indirect cybervictimization experiences had higher odds of exhibiting indirect cyberbullying behaviour. Some theories, such as the social learning theory and the theory of planned behaviour, were adopted to explain the relationship. However, the cross-sectional nature of the current study inhibits the identification of a causal relationship between cyberbullying and cybervictimization. Future research addressing the limitations in the present study may expand the current understanding of the association between cyberbullying and cybervictimization and its underlying mechanisms.