Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Oct 2022)
The Relationship Between Bullying Victimization and Cyber Aggression Among College Students: The Mediating Effects of Relative Deprivation and Depression
Abstract
Jing Zhang,1,2 Jialei Gu,2 Wenchao Wang2 1Research Centre of Applied Technology University, Huanghuai University, Zhumadian, People’s Republic of China; 2Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wenchao Wang, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 010 58801884, Email [email protected]: Based on the general aggression model, the present study aims to examine the relationship between bullying victimization and cyber aggression as well as the mediating effects of perceived relative deprivation and depression on this relationship.Methods: The present study employed a 3-wave longitudinal method featuring 6-month intervals to investigate 795 Chinese college students (476 female; Mage = 19.67). Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the relationships among bullying victimization, perceived relative deprivation, depression and cyber aggression.Results: The results suggested that bullying victimization positively and significantly predicts cyber aggression in college students and that both perceived relative deprivation and depression play positive mediating roles in this relationship. Moreover, bullying victimization affects cyber aggression via the chain mediating roles of perceived relative deprivation and depression.Discussion: This study offers valuable insight into ways of considering perceived relative deprivation and depression in the context of prevention and intervention strategies to help attenuate cyber aggression among victims of bullying.Keywords: bullying victimization, perceived relative deprivation, depression, cyber aggression, college students
