Understanding the factors that influence the perceived severity of cyber-bullying

Abstract

Cyberbullying is a phenomenon that involves aggressive behaviors performed through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) with the intention to cause harm or discomfort to victims. Researchers have measured the incidence of cyber-bullying by presenting participants with a list of behaviors and determining whether they have experienced those behaviors or the frequency of their occurrence. However, those measures do not take into account a victim's perspective of those behaviors. This study draws on the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping and introduces the concept of perceived cyber-bullying severity to measure a victim's appraisal of cyberbullying. This study also proposes a set of antecedents to perceived cyber-bullying severity, which will be validated using a survey-based study and structural equation modeling techniques. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.