ABSTRACT Immigrant youth have been found to be particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of cyberbullying. Cyber‐upstanders have been highlighted with the potential to tackle bias‐based bullying, such as immigrant cyberbullying; thus, it is crucial to understand its predictors. This study examined the indirect effects of intergroup contact on cyber‐upstanding intentions towards immigrant cyberbullying, via two mediators: intergroup empathy and intergroup anxiety. Participants ( N = 147, M age = 16.75 years), aged 16–19 years, completed an online survey. Results showed a significant indirect effect of intergroup contact on cyber‐upstanding intentions via intergroup empathy, but not via intergroup anxiety. There were also significant total and direct effects of intergroup contact on cyber‐upstanding intentions. Therefore, intergroup contact and intergroup empathy have great potential to encourage cyber‐upstanding intentions in an immigrant cyberbullying context. Theoretical and practical implications for encouraging upstanding in bias‐based bullying contexts are discussed with consideration for future directions.
Abbott et al. (2026) studied this question.