Cyberbullying Profiles: Differences in Anxiety, Depression, and Stress in a Sample of Spanish Students

Abstract

The increased prevalence and significant negative consequences associated with cyberbullying justify the need for empirical research that helps provide a deeper understanding of the problem. The objective of this study was to identify the existence of different cyberbullying profiles (according to degree of cybervictimization and cyberaggression of students) and whether these profiles vary with regard to anxiety, depression, and stress. The sample consisted of 1,185 students aged 12 to 18 (M= 14.01; DT = 2.36). A latent class analysis and ANOVA were carried out. The data showed four profiles: not-involved (low scores for cybervictimization and cyberaggression), cybervictims (moderately high scores for cybervictimization and low scores for cyberaggression), cyberbullies (low scores for cybervictimization and moderately high scores for cyberaggression), and cybervictims-cyberbullies (high scores for cybervictimization and cyberaggression). Statistically significant differences in anxiety, depression, and stress were found between the profiles. The group of cybervictims and cybervictims-cyberbullies presented higher anxiety than the not-involved group and cyberbullies. The cybervictims-cyberbullies group showed higher depression and stress levels than the other groups, and the cyberbully group showed a higher level of depression than the not-involved group.