A Network Perspective on Cyberbullying: Examining School Social Environment and Bullying Behaviors
Abstract
This study examined the complexity of cyberbullying and its relationship with traditional bullying, school climate, and social support using network analysis. The sample consisted of 1,269 participants (359 boys), including 770 emerging adults and 499 teens, with a mean age of 18 (SD = 2.5). We measured 11 forms of cyberbullying across different roles (victim, aggressor, defender, bystander), five factors of school climate, social support (from parents, friends, teachers), and traditional bullying roles. Undirected weighted network models revealed strong interconnections between various types of aggressive behaviors and cyberbullying victimization. Unauthorized sharing of personal media showed negative relationships with online verbal attacks, while online group exclusion strongly associated with social isolation. The bystander role positively related to both verbal aggression and victimization. Defenders in cyberbullying were more likely to be victims of personal information exposure and verbal attacks, and strongly associated with defending in traditional bullying. School climate and social support demonstrated weak connections to cyberbullying, with student-student relationships, fairness in school, and parental support showing the most direct interconnections. Network comparisons revealed subtle structural differences between genders and between teens and emerging adults. Findings suggest prevention programs should focus on strengthening school relationships while supporting student defenders who may become targets themselves.
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BibTeX
@misc{banik2026network,
title = {{A Network Perspective on Cyberbullying: Examining School Social Environment and Bullying Behaviors}},
author = {Gabriel Baník and Mária Dědová and Kristína Dědová and Veronika Mihalikova},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/hgu8v_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/hgu8v_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - A Network Perspective on Cyberbullying: Examining School Social Environment and Bullying Behaviors
AU - Gabriel Baník
AU - Mária Dědová
AU - Kristína Dědová
AU - Veronika Mihalikova
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/hgu8v_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/hgu8v_v1/
AB - This study examined the complexity of cyberbullying and its relationship with traditional bullying, school climate, and social support using network analysis. The sample consisted of 1,269 participants (359 boys), including 770 emerging adults and 499 teens, with a mean age of 18 (SD = 2.5). We measured 11 forms of cyberbullying across different roles (victim, aggressor, defender, bystander), five factors of school climate, social support (from parents, friends, teachers), and traditional bullying roles. Undirected weighted network models revealed strong interconnections between various types of aggressive behaviors and cyberbullying victimization. Unauthorized sharing of personal media showed negative relationships with online verbal attacks, while online group exclusion strongly associated with social isolation. The bystander role positively related to both verbal aggression and victimization. Defenders in cyberbullying were more likely to be victims of personal information exposure and verbal attacks, and strongly associated with defending in traditional bullying. School climate and social support demonstrated weak connections to cyberbullying, with student-student relationships, fairness in school, and parental support showing the most direct interconnections. Network comparisons revealed subtle structural differences between genders and between teens and emerging adults. Findings suggest prevention programs should focus on strengthening school relationships while supporting student defenders who may become targets themselves.
ER -