Citation

Barlett CP, Seyfert LW, Rinker AM, Roth BR. Pers. Individ. Dif. 2022; 196: e111731.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.paid.2022.111731

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Cyberbullying theory and research puts much emphasis on the role that anonymity perceptions has in the prediction of online aggression. However, some individuals choose to cyberbully others when identifying information (e.g., their name) is clearly visible to the victim and the online community at large. Two correlational studies with US adults examined one possible reason for this effect: dispositional fear of retaliation (DFoR) - a personality variable characterized by the anxiety related to other's retaliatory behavior. Participants completed measures of perceived anonymity, positive cyberbullying attitudes, cyberbullying perpetration, and DFoR.

RESULTS showed DFoR moderated the (a) direct relationship between anonymity perceptions and cyberbullying attitudes and behavior and the (b) mediating role of cyberbullying attitudes in the link between anonymity and cyberbullying perpetration.

Language: en

Keywords

Anonymity; Cyberbullying; Fear of retaliation