Just as Violent: Cyberbullying and In-Person Violence Compared Among Arab Youth in Israel

Abstract

This study examined similarities and differences between adolescent involvement in cyberbullying and in-person violence from a socio-ecological perspective. It explored the associations between individual (gender, age, religiosity, and impulsivity), family (parental support, monitoring, and conflict), and contextual factors (commitment to school, affiliation with delinquent peers and exposure to community violence), on the one hand, and four types of violence: cyberbullying and three subtypes of in-person violence—severe and moderate physical violence and indirect violence—on the other. The sample included 3178 Arab students in grades 7–11 in Israel, who completed a structured survey. “In-person bullying” or face-to face violence was found to be significantly and positively associated with involvement in cyberbullying, and both bullying behaviors were found to share common predictors. Of the four types of violence, involvement in severe physical violence and cyberbullying and was the lower (28.4% and 14.1% and of students, respectively), with significantly higher rates for indirect and moderate violence (65.7% and 47.3%, respectively). The general trend found in the study was one of similarities between cyberbullying and in-person violence, especially of the severe physical type. We conclude that protecting youth against involvement in violent acts can be most effectively achieved by buffering the impact of situational and personal risk factors.