Childhood maltreatment and cyberbullying victimization/perpetration; The mediating role of family function, resilience, and anxiety

Abstract

Cyberbullying (CBB) is an emerging social concern that has harmful effects on the life satisfaction of students and their relatives. This study aimed to examine how family function, resilience, and anxiety mediate the link between childhood maltreatment (CM) and CBB victimization/perpetration among Iranian students. We conducted a cross-sectional study in March 2022 with 403 students (75 males, 328 females) aged 18 to 50. Participants completed an online questionnaire encompassing the Child Abuse Self-Report Scale, Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Scale, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Family Assessment Device (FAD), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). We found that CM correlated with CBB victimization/perpetration. The mediation analysis showed that family function fully mediates the relationship between CM and CBB victimization/perpetration. Also, poor family function could raise anxiety and the risk of CBB victimization/perpetration. Moreover, the reduced family function might harm individuals’ resilience, and lower resilience might increase the likelihood of becoming a victim of CBB through anxiety mediation. Overall, our research underscores the family's pivotal role in ensuring cyber safety and preventing CBB involvement of its members, and it should be considered in intervention programs.