Gratitude and cyberbullying perpetration: The mediating role of self-compassion and moral disengagement

Pan Zeng, Pengcheng Wang, Jia Nie, Mingkun Ouyang and Li Lei

Children and Youth Services Review, 2020, vol. 119, issue C

Abstract: Recent studies have documented the negative association between gratitude and cyberbullying perpetration. However, it is unknown about the mediating mechanisms connecting this link. The current study examined whether self-compassion and moral disengagement would mediate the link between gratitude and cyberbullying perpetration. A sample of 1488 Chinese college students (Mage = 19.84 years, SD = 1.61) completed questionnaires including demographics, gratitude, self-compassion, moral disengagement, and cyberbullying perpetration. The results showed that: (a) gratitude was negatively associated with cyberbullying perpetration; (b) both self-compassion and moral disengagement mediated the association between gratitude and cyberbullying perpetration in a parallel manner; (c) self-compassion and moral disengagement sequentially mediated the link between gratitude and cyberbullying perpetration. The study illuminates the role of individual positive traits (such as gratitude and self-compassion) in decreasing moral disengagement and cyberbullying perpetration and implies that gratitude and self-compassion can be trained for reducing cyberbullying perpetration among adults.

Keywords: Gratitude; Cyberbullying perpetration; Self-compassion; Moral disengagement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:119:y:2020:i:c:s0190740920320314

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105608

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