CYBERBULLYING PERPETRATION IN A BLACK METROPOLITAN SAMPLE OF ADOLESCENTS: THE ROLE OF RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS

Author

Catherine Sofia Forster, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2024

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Cashel, Mary Louise

Abstract

Cyberbullying perpetration is associated with negative outcomes in social, emotional, and interpersonal functioning among youth. Prior research suggests that a strong parent-child relationship and parental limit-setting of time spent online may reduce the risk of cyberbullying; however, few studies have empirically evaluated the effects of parental involvement (Doty et al., 2018). Furthermore, few studies have examined the prevalence and impact of cyberbullying among minority youth, specifically cyberbullying perpetration engagement (Kowalski et al., 2019; Miller, 2011). The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the incidence and prevalence of cyberbullying perpetration in a sample of 321 Black middle school students living in and around St. Louis, Missouri. Students in this study completed a survey composed of items derived from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System developed by the Centers of Disease Control and other original scales developed by the University of Missouri-St. Louis Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice faculty. This study addressed the following hypotheses using binary logistic regression with archival data: 1) consistent with prior studies, time online and history of traditional bullying perpetration will predict cyberbullying perpetration; 2) parent-child relationship, parental awareness, and parental limit-setting will reduce the odds of cyberbullying perpetration; 3) aggression, risk-taking, and maladaptive coping skills will predict cyberbullying perpetration, while adaptive coping skills will reduce the odds of cyberbullying perpetration. The results indicated that time spent online and history of traditional bullying perpetration were significant predictors of cyberbullying perpetration. Characteristics of parental involvement (parent-child relationship, parental awareness, and parental limit-setting), however, were not significantly related. Adaptive coping skills did not protect against cyberbullying perpetration. Aggression, risk-taking, nor maladaptive coping skills predicted cyberbullying perpetration. Risk-taking was indicated as a predictor of bullying perpetration generally. The results of this study and implications for future interventions are discussed.