Cyberbullying: Reciprocal links with Social Anxiety, Self-Esteem and Resilience in U.K. school children.

Abstract

During childhood and adolescence, many challenges are faced, each with the potential for adverse psychological, social and educational outcomes. However, one of the greatest concerns for school aged children continues to be bullying, which is constantly changing due to the development of modern technology, and the subsequent growth of cyberbullying. As cyberbullying is a relatively novel construct within psychological literature, there is a considerable lack of explorative research, particularly surrounding the potential impacts of cyberbullying. Thus, the present study intended to address several gaps in the existing literature, by working towards a more functional explanation of the relationship between cyberbullying and social anxiety, specifically in U.K. adolescents. Additionally, the role of self-esteem and resilience have been explored in terms of their protective benefits. Based upon a sample of 653 school children, aged 10-16 years, simple and hierarchical multiple regression revealed a potentially reciprocal relationship between cyberbullying and social anxiety. Results also revealed cyberbullying, self-esteem and resilience to uniquely predict social anxiety, and social anxiety and self-esteem to uniquely predict cyberbullying. Gender differences in cyberbullying, self-esteem and resilience were also reported. Taken together, the findings provide information that may be crucial in understanding, preventing and intervening in cyberbullying to limit adverse outcomes.