RT Article
T1 Exploring the link between cybervictimization and depression
JF Violence and victims
VO 40
IS 3
SP 422
OP 436
A1 Olson, Chelsea
A1 Bellmore, Amy
A2 Bellmore, Amy
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1931887721
AB Cybervictimization is strongly and positively associated with depressive symptoms in adolescence. Identifying mechanisms of this association is imperative to benefit adolescents’ mental health. Applying the General Aggression Model in a theoretically novel way, this study examined a complex mediational pathway between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms. Two hundred seventy-seven adolescent participants (M age = 15.84; 65.7% females) reported their own cybervictimization experiences, depressive symptoms, and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral attributions in response to a hypothetical cybervictimization scenario. Path analysis within structural equation modeling was used to test a model where cybervictimization predicted depressive symptoms through characterological self-blame cognitions, sadness emotions, and passive avoidance behaviors. Characterological self-blame was found to partially mediate the positive and significant association between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms. Sadness emotions and passive avoidance behaviors did not emerge as significant mediators. The findings implicate the importance of cognitions in explaining the association between cybervictimization and depression and suggest incorporating cognitive re-framing education into anti-cyberbullying prevention programs.
NO Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 433-436
K1 characterological self-blame
K1 cognitions
K1 cyberbullying victimization
K1 Depression
K1 Mental Health
DO 10.1891/VV-2022-0223