Relationship between shyness and cyberbullying in different study stages: The mediating effects of upward social comparison and self-esteem

In recent years, abundant data have emerged that verify the mechanism of cyberbullying. In the current study, a total of 5,215 valid questionnaires were received and examined to determine whether upward social comparison and self-esteem functioned as mediators in the relationship between shyness and cyberbullying. The results indicated that (1) shyness positively predicted cyberbullying and (2) upward social comparison and self-esteem mediated this relationship through two mediating pathways, namely, the separate mediating effect and the sequential chain mediating effect. (3) There are also gender differences and developmental-stage differences in the mediation model. Concretely speaking, the multigroup analysis showed a significant difference in gender between cyberbullying and upward social comparison and significant differences in developmental stages from upward social comparison to self-esteem and from self-esteem to cyberbullying. These results suggest that we should pay attention to the roles of shyness, upward social comparison and self-esteem in the prevention of cyberbullying and develop different measures for individuals of different genders and in different developmental stages.

Automated summary

In this study, abundant data were used to verify the mechanism of cyberbullying and to explore the mediating role of upward social comparison and self-esteem in the relationship between shyness and cyberbullying. The results revealed positive predictions of cyberbullying by shyness and the mediating effects of upward social comparison and self-esteem. Gender differences and developmental-stage differences were also identified in the mediation model, emphasizing the importance of considering individual characteristics in the prevention of cyberbullying.