Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
Date Submitted: Oct 28, 2023
Date Accepted: Jul 11, 2024
The relationship between Epidemic Perception and Cyberbullying Behaviors of Chinese Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A cross-sectional study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The outbreak and worldwide spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a dramatic effect on the mental health and behavior of the public, especially for adolescents who have a specific sensitive perception of risk.
Objective:
In the current study, we investigated the effect of epidemic perception on cyberbullying behaviors of Chinese adolescents with a serial mediating model.
Methods:
A total of 19726 Chinese adolescents (10371 boys) aged from 12 to 18 years (M = 14.80 years, SD = 1.63) completed online surveys. Adolescents reported their perceptions of COVID-19, negative affect (i.e., depression and anxiety), insomnia and cyberbullying behaviors.
Results:
The results showed that insomnia and negative affect played partial mediating roles in the relationship between epidemic perception and cyberbullying behaviors, which constructed a serial mediating model.
Conclusions:
The findings in the current research added to the literature on the perception of COVID-19 and cyberbullying in adolescents by demonstrating the serial mediating associations of insomnia and negative affect. Implications for interventions to reduce the risk of cyberbullying (perpetration and victimization) among adolescents during COVID-19 were discussed.
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Copyright
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