Students’ perceived social support in the transition from primary to secondary education: Grade-related trends and association with cybervictimization

Abstract

This study examines the role of perceived social support in cybervictimization and differences according to educational level in a sample of 654 students from 5^th grade of primary education to 4^th grade of secondary education (M_age = 12.80, SD = 1.64) in Galicia, Spain. Participants aged 9 to 17 years, identified as girls (48.8%), boys (50%), and non-binary (1.2%) and came from public schools (60.7%) and government-dependent private schools (39.3%) in rural (43.2%) and urban areas (56.8%). The data analysis included ANOVA to explore differences in social support by grade, multiple regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between sources of support (family, peers, close friends, and teachers) and cybervictimization, and mediation analyses to examine indirect and interaction effects. The results show that family support is the primary source of support in the earlier grades, but its influence decreases during adolescence, while peer support remains stable. All sources of support were negatively associated with cybervictimization, although the effects varied by grade: the effect of perceived family support diminished in higher grades, while the effect of perceived peer support increased. It is crucial to develop preventive strategies that strengthen different sources of social support, prioritizing family support during childhood and promoting peer support in adolescence while maintaining the continuous facilitative role of teachers.