DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1854_25 ISSN: 2277-9531

Unveiling cyberbullying perpetration among emerging adults: Examining the roles of anonymous self-expression, anonymous toxicity, ADHD traits, and psychological distress

Mei-Yui Law, Ziyan Lo
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BACKGROUND:

Cyberbullying perpetration is of public concern due to its adverse consequences to the victims. The underlying factors of cyberbullying perpetration ought to be ascertained before an effective psychoeducation program can be designed and delivered to reduce such malicious deeds. Hence, this study aimed to examine whether anonymous self-expression, anonymous toxicity, and ADHD traits predict cyberbullying perpetration among emerging adults in Malaysia. Additionally, this study intended to investigate the mediating role of psychological distress in the relationship between anonymous self-expression, anonymous toxicity, ADHD traits, and cyberbullying perpetration.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This quantitative prediction study employed a total of 432 Malaysian emerging adults, aged 18 to 25, including both males and females. The CyberBullying Perpetration (CBP) Scale, Online Anonymity Questionnaire (OAQ), Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1), and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) were utilized to measure the study variables. A set of Google Forms was disseminated to the target population. The paths in the structural equation model, constructed using SmartPLS 4, were analyzed.

RESULTS:

The results revealed that anonymous toxicity and ADHD traits significantly and positively predicted cyberbullying perpetration ( β = 0.331, P < 0.01; β = 0.233, P < 0.01, respectively). Unexpectedly, anonymous self-expression significantly and negatively predicted cyberbullying perpetration ( β = −0.255, P < 0.01). The mediating role of psychological distress is remarkable, given that it significantly mediated the relationship between anonymous toxicity and cyberbullying perpetration ( ab = 0.100, P < 0.01), and also the relationship between ADHD traits and cyberbullying perpetration ( ab = 0.143, P < 0.01). However, psychological distress did not mediate the relationship between anonymous self-expression and cyberbullying perpetration among emerging adults in Malaysia ( ab = 0.007, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION:

Overall, psychoeducation aimed at reducing the cyberbullying perpetration of Malaysian emerging adults should focus on increasing anonymous self-expression, reducing anonymous toxicity, managing ADHD traits, and reducing psychological distress.

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