Concurrent and longitudinal associations between early adolescents' experiences of school climate and cyber victimization

Cyber bullying often occurs outside of school yards and classrooms, leading to questions about whether schools have a role in preventing it. We examine the concurrent and longitudinal associations between early adolescents' experiences of school climate and cyber victimization controlling for traditional forms of victimization (i.e., relational and physical). Participants were fifth and sixth graders, involved in an evaluation of the WITS programs, who completed cyber victimization questionnaires at the beginning (T1: n = 714, Mage = 11.0, 52% girls) and end (T2: n = 638, Mage = 11.48, 52% girls) of one academic year. Early adolescents who had more positive experiences of school climate reported less cyber victimization within time. Cross-lagged path models show that more positive experiences of school climate were also related to less cyber victimization across time. Efforts to create a safe and supportive school environment may help to prevent the emergence of cyber victimization and support the healthy development of students both inside and outside of school.