Adolescents' eveningness chronotype and cyberbullying perpetration: The mediating role of depression-related aggression and anxiety-related aggression

Abstract

Recent empirical evidence has indicated a positive relationship between university students' evening-type chronotype and their cyberbullying perpetration (CBP) scores while controlling for gender and Big Five personality dimensions. The aims of the present study were (i) to replicate the results of the aforementioned study with an adolescent sample, and (ii) to examine the mediating role of depression, anxiety, and aggression on the relationship between chronotype and CBP. In order to investigate these aims, 493 high-school students were recruited to complete a survey that included the Reduced Morningness-Eveningness Scale, Short Depression Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Short Form, Aggression Questionnaire, and Cyberbullying Offending Scale. Results indicated that while females had higher depression and anxiety scores, males scored higher on CBP. Path analysis showed that aggression, depression-related aggression, and anxiety-related aggression fully mediated the relationship between evening-type chronotype and CBP. There were also significant gender differences in the model. Furthermore, physiological factors had an indirect effect on CBP via psychological risk factors and emotion-related negative behaviors.