Self-esteem, shyness and peer attachment as predictors of perpetration and exposure to cyberbullying

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi odnos samopoštovanja, sramežljivosti i privrženosti prijateljima s vršnjačkim nasiljem na internetu te ispitati spolne razlike u tim ponašanjima. U istraživanju su sudjelovale 124 učenice i 111 učenika sedmih i osmih razreda iz pet osnovnih škola s područja grada Zagreba. Ispitani su samopoštovanje, sramežljivost i privrženost prijateljima te njihova izloženost i činjenje vršnjačkog nasilja putem interneta. Rezultati pokazuju da su neka djeca koja su žrtve vršnjačkog nasilja putem interneta ujedno i počinitelji tog nasilja. Dalje, dječaci su češće počinitelji vršnjačkog nasilja putem interneta, dok nema spolnih razlika u izloženosti nasilju. Samopoštovanje je individualna karakteristika koja je statistički značajan prediktor izloženosti vršnjačkom nasilju putem interneta. Učenici nižeg samopoštovanja izvjestili su o većoj izloženosti takvom nasilju. Sramežljivost i privrženost prijateljima nisu bili prediktivni za izloženost nasilju putem interneta. Također, na temelju sramežljivosti, samopoštovanja i privrženosti prijateljima nije bilo moguće predvidjeti sklonost činjenja vršnjačkog nasilja putem interneta.The aim of this study was to examine relations of self-esteem, shyness and peer attachment with cyberbullying and determine sex differences in cybervictimization and cyberbullying. The sample consisted of 124 female students and 111 male students in seventh and eighth grades of five elementary schools from Zagreb. We examined self-esteem, shyness and peer attachment of participants and their exposure to and perpetration of cyberbullying. The results revealed that some victims of cyberbullying were also perpetrators of cyberbullying. Further, boys were more often perpetrators of cyberbullying than girls while victims were equally girls and boys. Self-esteem was individual characteristic that statistically significantly predicted exposure to cyberbullying. Students with low self-esteem reported higher exposure to that type of bullying. Shyness and peer atachment were not predictive for cyberbullying exposure. Also, based on shyness, self-esteem and peer attachment it was not possible to predict tendency of perpetration of cyberbullying