Psychological Distress and Adolescents’ Cyberbullying under Floods and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Parent–Child Relationships and Negotiable Fate as Moderators

Yuchi Zhang, Chengpei Xu, Hanyue Dai and Xiaoyu Jia
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Yuchi Zhang: Department of Educational Technology, School of Smart Education, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China
Chengpei Xu: Department of Educational Technology, School of Smart Education, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China
Hanyue Dai: Department of Educational Technology, School of Smart Education, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China
Xiaoyu Jia: Center for Studies of Education and Psychology of Ethnic Minorities in Southwest China, Southwest University, Chongqing 400700, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-14

Abstract: Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), adolescents in 70 countries have suffered the COVID-19 pandemic and flood disasters simultaneously. Although antecedent cyberbullying variables have attracted significant research attention, the effects of psychological distress and the potential mechanisms of cyberbullying among adolescents under multiple disasters remains unclear. Based on social-ecological system theory, this study examines the moderating effects of parent–child relationships and the negotiable fate on the relationship between psychological distress and cyberbullying. A total of 1204 middle school students (52.4% boys) who suffered from floods and the COVID-19 pandemic from Zhengzhou City, China, are the participants. The results reveal that psychological distress was positively related to adolescent cyberbullying during a disaster. Parent–child relationships and negotiable fate significantly moderate the relationship between psychological distress and cyberbullying. Specifically, high parent–child relationships and a high negotiable fate could protect adolescents from the negative effects of psychological distress of cyberbullying. For adolescents with low or high parent–child relationships and low negotiable fate, the links between psychological distress and cyberbullying are stronger. These findings underline the significance of considering the interaction of psychological distress, parent–child relationships, and negotiable fate when examining adolescents’ cyberbullying during disasters.

Keywords: cyberbullying; psychological distress; parent–child relationships; negotiable fate; COVID-19; culture contexts (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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