Cross‐contextual stability of bullying victimization: A person‐oriented analysis of cyber and traditional bullying experiences among adolescents

Abstract

Erentaitė, R., Bergman, L. R. & Žukauskienė, R. (2012). Cross‐contextual stability of bullying victimization: A person‐oriented analysis of cyber and traditional bullying experiences among adolescents. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 181–190. Using a person‐oriented approach the study examined whether bullying victimization at school continued into cyberspace victimization in a large sample of high school students in Lithuania ( N = 1667, 58% girls), age 15–19 ( M = 17.29, SD = 0.95). Three forms of traditional bullying (verbal, physical and relational) and seven forms of cyberbullying victimization through cell phones and computers were included in the analysis. The findings revealed that 35% of traditional bullying victims were also bullied in cyberspace. In particular, adolescents who experienced predominantly verbal and relational bullying at school, showed a higher risk of victimization in cyberspace a year later, while this was not observed for predominantly physical forms of traditional bullying. The findings point to the importance of a cross‐contextual perspective in studies on stability of bullying victimization.