Adolescents' perception of the characterizing dimensions of cyberbullying: Differentiation between bullies' and victims' perceptions

Being aware of the adolescents perceptions' on cyberbullying is one of the main factors that determine the real prevalence of this phenomenon and allows the adequacy of intervention programs. The objectives pursued in this study were: (a) to determine the perceptions adolescents have about cyberbullying and cyber abuse; and (b) to analyse the influence of experiences of cybervictimization and cyberaggression on the perception of cyberbullying and its various forms. The sample consisted of 1753 adolescents of 12-16 years in age. The instrument used to acquire the data was a questionnaire. The results reveal that, of the 5 identifying criteria of cyberbullying, Spanish adolescents have recourse to just three: intent to hurt, imbalance of power, and advertising. Also, this study shows that verbal and visual aggressions, far from being interpreted as forms of cyberbullying, are considered to be mechanisms that foster and facilitate their communication and interaction. Although the victims and aggressors allude to the same set of identifying criteria, the aggressors emphasize the imbalance of power criterion as against the intent to hurt. For the victims, the intentionality being the primary factor, followed by advertising, while the imbalance of power is relegated to a background role.