Year: 2009
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Recently psychologists have begun studying a new phenomenon known as cyberbullying.However, as yet there is still very little research into the effects of cyberbullying for the students involved.The current study examined the correlation between cyberbullying and students' life satisfaction.It was hypothesized that cyberbullying would be negatively correlated with students' life satisfaction for the victims of cyberbullying, the cyberbullies, and the cyberbully-victims.Additionally, it was hypothesized that involvement in cyberbullying, as a victim, bully or bully-victim, would be more negatively correlated with life satisfaction than would involvement in traditional bullying, as a victim, bully, or bully-victim.Survey data was gathered from 398 elementary school students from southwestern Ohio.Students' experiences with bullying were assessed using questions from the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, while questions from the Brief Multi-dimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale were used to assess six domains of students' life satisfaction.The results of the study indicated that being a cyberbully was significantly negatively correlated with global life satisfaction.Also, being a traditional bully was significantly negatively correlated with satisfaction with family life.Furthermore, cyberbullies and cyberbully-victims were found to have lower satisfaction with family life and school experience than were cybervictims or students who were not involved in cyberbullying.There were no other significant correlations found.The results from this study, along with previous cyberbullying research, suggest that cyberbullying is not as prevalent among elementary school students, as it is among middle school and high school students.Further research into effects of cyberbullying among middle school and high school students is necessary to ascertain if it would negatively affect life satisfaction for those students.
Author: Meghan Elaine Hobbs
Institution: Miami University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W28569456