Cyberbullying perpetration: an empirical test of social learning theory in Iran

Abstract

To test social learning theory’s ability to explain Iranian sports fans’ decision to engage in cyberbullying perpetration against rivals, a random sample of 464 students from an Iranian university is employed. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze these data. Findings suggest that cyberbullying against rivals is significantly predicted by differential association, definitions, imitation, and differential reinforcement. In addition, differential association also has direct effects on definitions, imitation, and differential reinforcement, and from these paths, indirect effects (partial mediation) on cyberbullying perpetration.