| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 350828 | Computers in Human Behavior | 2013 | 8 Pages |
•College students involved in cyberbullying had more psychological distress.•College cyberbullies were higher in aggression and endorsed more suicidal behaviors.•Cyberbully/victims admitted to committing more violent and drug crimes.•This study provides support that like their victims, cyberbullies are distressed.
Cyberbullying is a newer variation of bullying that utilizes technology to harass. This study investigated the psychological symptomology, suicidal behaviors, aggressive tendencies, and illegal behaviors of college cyberbullies. Sixty cyberbullies and 19 cyberbully/victims (participants who cyberbullied and were victims of cyberbullying) scored higher in psychological symptoms of depression, hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoia, phobic anxiety, and psychoticism than participants who were uninvolved with cyberbullying. The cyberbullies also endorsed more suicidal behaviors and scored higher in aggression. The cyberbully/victims engaged in more violent and drug crimes than cyberbullies and controls. These findings indicate perpetrators of cyberbullying have more psychological distress, aggressive tendencies, and engage in more illegal behaviors than those who do not cyberbully. This is the first study to show the distress cyberbullies are experiencing.
