Online ISSN: 2515-8260

Hexaco, Attachment Styles and Empathy: The Factors Predicting the Perpetuation of Cyberbullying and Victimization Among University Students

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1Abdullah Ali Alshehry, 2Prof. Dr. Wan Shahraza Binti Wan Sulaiman, 3Prof. Dr. Rozainee Khairijdin

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Cyberbullying, which refers to harassment facilitated through digital devices ranging from computers to cell phones, is one of the significant quandaries that has continued to confront the world in the 21st century. Bullying Statistics Org. (2018) reveals that cyberbullying often take numerous forms, for example, spreading rumor through texts or online, sending threatening messages to people’s email addresses, posting harming content on web pages and social networking sites, confiscating people’s sensitive information and using it maliciously via digital platforms, and sex-texting among others. While everyone is affected by the by the problem of cyberbullying, adolescents and young adults experience the dilemma more. Bullying Statistics Org. (2018) reveals that at least half of the teen and adolescent population in the U.S. and the world, in general, has experienced an incident(s) of bullying in which they are the victims. A similar proportion of teens/adolescents have engaged in bully activities using the same means targeting their peers and older people. Bullying Statistics Org. (2018) also reveals that one in every ten adolescents usually report an incidence of cyberbullying in which they are victimized. To worsen the matter, one or fewer teenagers in every five have their experiences with cyberbullying known to the law enforcement officers. The various dynamics of cyberbullying as they relate to teenagers are prominent across empirical research. While this is the case, pertinent gaps exist when it comes to knowledge concerning the predictors of cyberbullying as they apply to students in the higher education facilities. This research paper will attempt to fill these gaps by exploring how personality traits, attachment styles, and empathy predict cyberbullying among university students.

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