Loneliness, parent-child communication and cyberbullying victimization among Spanish youths

Cyberbullying has been recognized as an important risk factor for mental health. Few studies have analyzed relationships between family variables and cyberbullying victimization. This ex post facto study analyze the relationships between loneliness, parent-child communication and different groups of cyberbullying victims (non-involved, occasional and severe; and an extreme case of cyberbullying, daily victims). A battery of instruments was applied to 813 Spanish adolescents in grades 7-10 (loneliness, parent-child communication and cyberbullying victimization). Their parents completed the parent-child communication scale. Logistic regressions analyses were applied to determine if cyberbullying victimization is associated with loneliness and parent-child communication. The results showed that adolescents' reports of avoidant communication with the mother was associated with occasional cyberbullying victimization. Adolescents' reports of avoidant communication with the mother and feelings of loneliness were associated with severe cyberbullying victimization. Additionally, parents' reports of offensive communication was associated with severe cyberbullying victimization. The results of this study highlight the association of communication family problems with cyberbullying victimization.