Relationship between Parental Monitoring and Cyberbullying Perpetration among Male and Female Adolescents: Dual Sequential Mediating Effects of Self-Control and Peer Conformity of Anti-social Behaviors

This study aims to investigate dual sequential mediating effects of self-control and peer conformity of anti-social behaviors in the relationship between parental monitoring of internet use and cyberbullying perpetration in male and female adolescents. Participants were recruited from 8 middle schools in Seoul. A sample of 304 students participated in the study. Self-report questionnaires were used to assessed perceived parental monitoring of internet use, cyberbullying perpetration, self-control, and peer conformity of anti-social behaviors. Data were analyzed with t-tests, Pearson's correlation, and Model 6 in SPSS PROCESS Macro. Results indicated that female students reported higher parental monitoring of internet use and self-control compared to male students, while male students reported higher peer conformity of anti-social behaviors and engagement in cyberbullying perpetration compared to female students. Testing of the sequential mediating model in the overall sample showed parental monitoring of adolescent children influenced cyberbullying perpetration serially via self-control of adolescents and peer conformity of anti-social behaviors. However, in the male students' sample, parental monitoring was associated with cyberbullying perpetration via self-control and peer conformity of anti-social behaviors, respectively, while in the female students' sample, parental monitoring was associated with cyberbullying perpetration only via self-control. Gender-specific pathways from parental monitoring to cyberbullying perpetration were discussed.