Cyberbullying Perpetration and Socio-Behavioral Correlates in Italian and Spanish Preadolescents: A Cross-National Study and Serial Mediation Analysis

Gianluca Mariano Colella (), Rocco Carmine Servidio, Anna Lisa Palermiti, Maria Giuseppina Bartolo, Paula García-Carrera, Rosario Ortega-Ruiz and Eva M. Romera
Additional contact information
Gianluca Mariano Colella: Department of Cultures, Education and Society, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, Arcavacata Di Rende, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Rocco Carmine Servidio: Department of Cultures, Education and Society, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, Arcavacata Di Rende, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Anna Lisa Palermiti: Department of Cultures, Education and Society, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, Arcavacata Di Rende, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Maria Giuseppina Bartolo: Department of Cultures, Education and Society, University of Calabria, Via Pietro Bucci, Arcavacata Di Rende, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Paula García-Carrera: Department of Psychology, Universidad de Córdoba, San Alberto Magno s/n, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Rosario Ortega-Ruiz: Department of Psychology, Universidad de Córdoba, San Alberto Magno s/n, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
Eva M. Romera: Department of Psychology, Universidad de Córdoba, San Alberto Magno s/n, 14071 Córdoba, Spain

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 3, 1-19

Abstract: The spread of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has brought advantages and disadvantages, particularly impacting youth, who use the Internet and social media applications daily. In preadolescents’ social development, problematic social media use (PSMU) and cyberbullying (CB) are potential risk factors across several countries. PSMU is defined as the lack of regulation of social media platforms that is associated with negative outcomes in everyday life, while CB refers to using digital technology to harass, threaten, or embarrass another person. Among preadolescents, CB perpetration is frequently associated with cybervictimization (CV) experiences. The underlying mechanisms that drive this relationship have received limited attention. The aim of the cross-national comparative study, rooted in the general aggression model, is to investigate the direct and indirect effects between cyberbullying perpetration and cybervictimization, testing a model involving PSMU and moral disengagement (MD) as serial mediators in this association. A total of 895 Italian and Spanish preadolescents (M age = 11.23, SD age = 1.064) completed a self-report survey during school hours. Descriptive statistics were computed, and a serial mediation model was run. The results show that CV is positively associated with CB, and that PSMU and MD positively serially mediate the CV–CB link. This study’s insights suggest the need for tailored educational interventions targeting European youth, to promote more positive online social interactions and a safer digital environment.

Keywords: cybervictimization; cyberbullying perpetration; general aggression model; moral disengagement; preadolescence; problematic social media use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/3/389/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/3/389/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:22:y:2025:i:3:p:389-:d:1607568

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().