Personality Traits and Aggression as Explanatory Variables of Cyberbullying in Spanish Preadolescents

Raquel Escortell, David Aparisi, María Carmen Martínez-Monteagudo and Beatriz Delgado
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Raquel Escortell: Faculty of Education, International University of La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain
David Aparisi: Department of Developmental Psychology and Didactic, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain
María Carmen Martínez-Monteagudo: Department of Developmental Psychology and Didactic, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Beatriz Delgado: Department of Developmental Psychology and Didactic, University of Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 16, 1-11

Abstract: There is a growing interest in preventing cyberbullying in youth. However, multiple questions remain as to the relationship between cyberbullying and psychosocial variables. This study examines the relationship between personality traits, aggression and cyberbullying (victims, bullies, victimized bullies and not involved) in 548 Spanish students aged 10 to 13 (50.2% boys). To do so, the Screening of Peer Harassment, the Big Five Questionnaire for Children and the Aggression Questionnaire were used. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the extraversion trait is an explanatory factor for being a victim and openness is a protective factor against being a cyberbully. Agreeableness was found to be a positive predictor of being a cyberbullying victim. Only verbal aggression and anger were included as explanatory factors of being a victim and a victimized bully, respectively. The results are discussed, suggesting their potential implications in the development of preventive programs.

Keywords: cyberbullying; personality; aggression; primary education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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