Addressing the rising concern of cyberbullying among young people, this study holds critical importance as it delves into the psychological underpinnings specifically depression, anger, and self-esteem that influence such behaviors on social media among the youth in Selangor. Utilizing a sample of 394 young residents, the research employed a comprehensive questionnaire disseminated via online platform to measure these emotional and psychological variables. Instruments such as the Depression PHQ-9, Clinical Anger Scale, Self-esteem Scale, and Cyberbullying Offending Scale were utilized to gauge the corresponding attributes. The research reveals a significant gender disparity in cyberbullying incidents with males showing higher levels than females. Notably, depression and anger were found to be positively correlated with cyberbullying, suggesting that these emotional states may serve as catalysts for cyberbullying activities. Conversely, self-esteem shows a negative correlation, implying that higher self-esteem may act as a safeguard against cyberbullying. Of particular interest is the finding that anger emerges as a unique predictor for cyberbullying behaviors, thereby highlighting the importance of targeted interventions aimed at anger management. The study conclusively shows that emotional conditions like depression and anger, along with self-esteem, play a pivotal role in shaping cyberbullying tendencies among the youth. By providing a deeper understanding of these influential psychological factors, the study serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, educators, and mental health professionals looking to design effective interventions, thereby contributing to the reduction of cyberbullying and fostering a safer online atmosphere for young individuals.
Acar, I. H., Avc?lar, G., Yaz?c?, G., & Bostanci, S. (2022). The roles of adolescents’ emotional problems and social media addiction on their self-esteem. Current Psychology, 41(10), 6838-6847.
Ak, S., Ozdemir, Y., & Kuzucu, Y. (2015). Cybervictimization and cyberbullying: The mediating role of anger, don’t anger me! Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 437-443.
Aliyev, R., & Gengec, H. (2019). The effects of resilience and cyberbullying on self-esteem. Journal of Education, 199(3), 155-165.
Ar?cak, O. T. (2009). Psychiatric symptomatology as a predictor of cyberbullying among university students. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research (EJER), (34).
Aricak, O. T., & Ozbay, A. (2016). Investigation of the relationship between cyberbullying, cybervictimization, alexithymia and anger expression styles among adolescents. Computers in Human Behavior, 55, 278-285.
Balakrishnan, V., & Fernandez, T. (2018). Self-esteem, empathy and their impacts on cyberbullying among young adults. Telematics and Informatics, 35(7), 2028-2037.
Barlett, C., Gentile, D. A., & Chew, C. (2016). Predicting cyberbullying from anonymity. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 5(2), 171.
Brady, S. (2010). Utilizing and adapting the social-ecological model to promote campus efforts to end sexual violence. Feminism & Psychology, 20(3), 312-323.
Burgess-Proctor, A., Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2009). Cyberbullying and online harassment: Reconceptualizing the victimization of adolescent girls. Female Crime Victims: Reality Reconsidered, 162, 176.
Campbell, M. A., & Bauman, S. (2018). Reducing Cyberbullying in Schools: International Evidence-Based Best Practices. Elsevier, Netherlands.
Campbell, M., & Xu, J. (2022). Children and adolescents’ understanding of traditional and cyberbullying. Children And Youth Services Review, 139, 106528.
Cankaya, S. (2010). Cyber victim and bullying scale: A study of validity and reliability. Computers & Education, 55(4), 2261-2271.
Eksi, F. (2012). Examination of narcissistic personality traits' predicting level of internet addiction and cyberbullying through path analysis. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 12(3), 1694-1706.
Erreygers, S., Vandebosch, H., Vranjes, I., Baillien, E., & De Witte, H. (2019). The longitudinal association between poor sleep quality and cyberbullying, mediated by anger. Health Communication, 34(5), 560-566.
Espelage, D. L., Basile, K. C., & Hamburger, M. E. (2012). Bullying perpetration and subsequent sexual violence perpetration among middle school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 50(1), 60-65.
Fanti, K. A., & Henrich, C. C. (2015). Effects of self-esteem and narcissism on bullying and victimization during early adolescence. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 35(1), 5-29.
Fischer, S. M., John, N., Melzer, W., Kaman, A., Winter, K., & Bilz, L. (2020). Traditional bullying and cyberbullying among children and adolescents in Germany–Cross-sectional results of the 2017/18 HBSC study and trends. Journal Of Health Monitoring, 5(3), 53.
Fredrick, S. S., Coyle, S., & King, J. A. (2023). Middle and high school teachers' perceptions of cyberbullying prevention and digital citizenship. Psychology in the Schools, 60(6), 1958-1978.
Hamm, M. P., Newton, A. S., Chisholm, A., Shulhan, J., Milne, A., Sundar, P., ... & Hartling, L. (2015). Prevalence and Effect of Cyberbullying on Children and Young People. Journal of Adolescent Health, 57(2), 207-212.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2012). Cyberbullying: Neither an epidemic nor a rarity. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(5), 539-543.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2018). Connecting Adolescent Suicide to the Severity of Bullying and Cyberbullying. International Journal of Bullying Prevention, 1(3), 239-251.
Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2020). Cyberbullying: Identification, Prevention, and Response. Cyberbullying Research Center.
Huang, Y., Chua, T. C., Saw, R. P., & Young, C. J. (2018). Discrimination, bullying and harassment in surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. World Journal of Surgery, 42, 3867-3873.
Ibrahim, A. M., & Vi, T. P. (2021). The Internet and adolescent safety: peer influence and gender difference as potential risk-factors of cyberbullying among Nigerian secondary school adolescents. International Journal of Media and Information Literacy, 6(1), 4-16.
Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2020). A systematic review: the influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79-93.
Kowalski, R. M., & Limber, S. P. (2013). Psychological, physical, and academic correlates of cyberbullying and traditional bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 53(1), S13-S20.
Kowalski, R. M., Giumetti, G. W., Schroeder, A. N., & Lattanner, M. R. (2014). Bullying in the digital age: a critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychological Bulletin, 140(4), 1073.
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. (2001). The PHQ?9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal Of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606-613.
Lee, M. H. L., Kaur, M., Shaker, V., Yee, A., Sham, R., & Siau, C. S. (2023). Cyberbullying, social media addiction and associations with depression, anxiety, and stress among medical students in Malaysia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 3136.
Lei, H., Mao, W., Cheong, C. M., Wen, Y., Cui, Y., & Cai, Z. (2020). The relationship between self-esteem and cyberbullying: A meta-analysis of children and youth students. Current Psychology, 39, 830-842.
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Industry Performance Report: Empowering a Digital Nation 2019.
Mishna, F., Cook, C., Gadalla, T., Daciuk, J., & Solomon, S. (2010). Cyber bullying behaviors among middle and high school students. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 80(3), 362-374.
Modecki, K. L., Barber, B. L., & Vernon, L. (2014). Mapping Developmental Precursors of Cyber-Aggression: Trajectories of Risk Predict Perpetration and Victimization. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(5), 830–842.
Nor, M. E. (2019). Cyberbullying among adolescents: The role of affective and cognitive empathy, and gender. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 50(4), 668-677.
O'Dea, B., & Campbell, A. (2011). Online social networking and the experience of cyber-bullying. Studies In Health Technology and Informatics, 167, 212-216.
Olweus, D., & Limber, S. P. (2018). Some Problems with Cyberbullying Research. Current Opinion in Psychology, 19, 139-143.
Orth, U., et al. (2018). Development of self-esteem from age 4 to 94 years: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 144(10), 1045-1080.
Ozer, A. K. (1994). Prestudy of the state-trait anger scale and the anger expression scale. Turkish Journal of Psychology, 31, 26-35.
Pabian, S., & Vandebosch, H. (2016). An investigation of short-term longitudinal associations between social anxiety and victimization and perpetration of traditional bullying and cyberbullying. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(2), 328-339.
Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2010). Cyberbullying and self-esteem. Journal of School Health, 80(12), 614-621.
Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2016). Cyberbullying: Identification, Prevention, and Response. Cyberbullying Research Center.
Razali, N. A., Nawang, N. I., & Mohamad, S. S. N. (2022). Cyberbullying in Malaysia: An Analysis of Existing Laws. International Journal of Law, Government and Communication, 7(30), 124-135.
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSE). Acceptance and commitment therapy. Measures package, 61(52), 18.
Runions, K. C. (2013). Toward a conceptual model of motive and self-control in cyber-aggression: Rage, revenge, reward, and recreation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(5), 751-771.
Saarento, S., Karna, A., Hodges, E. V., & Salmivalli, C. (2013). Student-, classroom-, and school-level risk factors for victimization. Journal of School Psychology, 51(3), 421-434.
Sahin, M., Aydin, B., & Sari, S. V. (2012). Cyber bullying, cyber victimization and psychological symptoms: A study in adolescents. Cukurova University Faculty of Education Journal, 41(1), 53-59.
Serife, A. K., Yalcin, O., and Yasar, K. (2015). Cybervictimization and cyberbullying: the mediating role of anger, don’t anger me! Computer and Human Behavior, 49, 437–443.
Smith, A., & Anderson, M. (2018). Social Media Use in 2018. Pew Research Center.
Snell Jr, W. E., Gum, S., Shuck, R. L., Mosley, J. A., & Kite, T. L. (1995). The clinical anger scale: Preliminary reliability and validity. Journal Of Clinical Psychology, 51(2), 215-226.
Sowislo, J. F., & Orth, U. (2013). Does low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 139(1), 213-240.
Spielberger, C., Crane, R. S., Kearns, W. D., Pellegrin, K. L., Rickman, R. L., & Johnson, E. H. (1991). Anger and anxiety in essential hypertension. Stress and Emotion, 14, 266-283.
Sticca, F., & Perren, S. (2013). Is cyberbullying worse than traditional bullying? Examining the differential roles of medium, publicity, and anonymity for the perceived severity of bullying. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(5), 739-750.
Suler, J. (2004). The online disinhibition effect. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 7(3), 321-326.
Twenge, J. M., & Joiner, T. E. (2020). Mental Health Among Adolescents and Young Adults: A 10-Year Trend Analysis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 129(6), 578-590.
Wang, J., Iannotti, R. J., & Luk, J. W. (2019). Patterns of adolescent bullying behaviors: Physical, verbal, exclusion, rumor, and cyber. Journal of School Psychology, 48(4), 401-421.
Wang, J., Iannotti, R. J., & Nansel, T. R. (2009). School bullying among adolescents in the United States: Physical, verbal, relational, and cyber. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45(4), 368-375.
Wang, X., Yang, L., Yang, J., Wang, P., & Lei, L. (2017). Trait anger and cyberbullying among young adults: A moderated mediation model of moral disengagement and moral identity. Computers in Human Behavior, 73, 519-526.
Williams, K. R., & Guerra, N. G. (2007). Prevalence and predictors of internet bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(6), S14-S21.
Ybarra, M. L., Diener?West, M., & Leaf, P. J. (2007). Examining the overlap in Internet harassment and school bullying: Implications for school intervention. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(6), S42-S50.
