Dark Tetrad and AI-Involved Cyberbullying: A Longitudinal Study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The increasing accessibility of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools has introduced new forms of cyberbullying, where individuals can misuse AI to create and disseminate harmful content. Understanding the psychological and demographic factors underlying such behaviors is essential for developing effective prevention strategies. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine the longitudinal associations between Dark Tetrad personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism), demographic factors (gender and age), and engagement in GAI-involved cyberbullying. METHODS A two-wave longitudinal survey was conducted with 1,019 participants from Mainland China (73.0% female; age range = 16–52 years, M = 23.58, SD = 4.06). Participants completed validated measures of Dark Tetrad traits and GAI-involved cyberbullying behaviors. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was employed to assess the predictive power of personality and demographic variables. RESULTS Psychopathy and sadism were significant positive predictors of GAI-involved cyberbullying. In contrast, Machiavellianism and narcissism did not significantly contribute to the prediction model. Among demographic variables, gender was a significant predictor, with males more likely to engage in such behavior, whereas age showed no significant effect. CONCLUSIONS This study extends the General Aggression Model to the domain of AI-facilitated aggression and highlights psychopathy, sadism, and gender as key risk factors. These findings offer practical implications for identifying individuals at higher risk of engaging in GAI-involved cyberbullying and inform the development of targeted interventions in education, mental health, and digital ethics.