Family Climate, Perception of Academic Achievements, Peer Engagement in Cyberbullying, and Cyber Roles among Adolescents

Abstract

Cyberbullying is a disturbing form of behavior associated with the use of communication technologies among adolescents. Many studies have been devoted to cyberbullies and cyber victims, neglecting an important growing group: cyberbullies who are also cyber victims. Moreover, few studies refer to all cyberbullying roles and factors associated with them. Therefore, the goal of this study is to examine differences in family climate, peers’ engagement in cyberbullying, and perception of academic achievements among involvements in cyberbullying roles. Data are collected by telephone or face-to-face from a sample of 277 eleventh- to twelfth-grade students in Israel who are asked to participate in the survey. Cyberbullying roles are composed of two variables—cyberbullies and cyber victims, creating four groups: cyberbullies, cyber victims, cyberbullies-and-victims, and non-involved. Three types of family climate are measured: warmth, order and supervision, and conflict. Respondents report their perceptions of peers’ engagement in cyberbullying. At the personal level, gender, perception of academic achievements, and school absence are measured. Multinomial logistic regression findings show that boys are more likely to be cyberbullies and cyberbullies-victims than are girls; family conflicts increase the odds of being cyberbullies and cyber victims; and family warmth decreases the odds of being cyber victims and cyberbullies-cyber victims. Perception of peers’ engagement in cyberbullying increases the odds of being cyberbullies and cyberbullies-victims. Perception of academic achievements and school absence have opposite effects on cyber victims, the former increasing the odds of being cyber victims and the latter decreasing them. The results emphasize the role of family and peers in adolescents’ cyber behavior. Limitations and conclusions are discussed.