Influence of Internet Use, Perceived Social Support and Sociodemographic Variables on Cyberbullying among Students

Cyberbullying represents a significant concern in digital communication, adversely affecting the emotional and social well-being of individuals. While extensively studied in adolescent populations, research focusing on university students remains limited. This quantitative exploratory study aims to characterise cyberbullying among Portuguese university students and investigate its associations with internet use, perceived peer support, age, and gender. A sample of 62 students, predominantly female (87.1%) with a mean age of 20.35 years (SD = 3.09) from Psychology and Social Sciences courses, completed the Cyberbullying Questionnaire for Aggressors (CBQ-A) and Victims (CBQ-V), and the Social Support Perception Scale. The results revealed low overall levels of involvement in cyberbullying, with mean scores of 0.0844 (SD = 0.1025) for aggressive behaviours and 0.1217 (SD = 0.1526) for victimisation. Statistical analysis using Spearman correlations identified very strong and significant positive associations between the time spent on the internet and both engagement in aggressive behaviours (rs = 0.823, p < .001) and experiences of victimisation (rs = 0.753, p < .001). Contrary to expectations, no significant correlations were found between cyberbullying and perceived peer support or age. A Mann-Whitney U test revealed a significant gender difference in aggressive behaviours, with female students reporting higher levels than males (p = .001); no such gender difference was found for victimisation. These findings underscore that the frequency of internet use is a critical risk factor for cyberbullying involvement in higher education, even when the overall prevalence is low. The study highlights the necessity of implementing preventive interventions at the university level that focus on promoting digital literacy, responsible online behaviour, and critical engagement with digital platforms, while also calling for further investigation into the unexpected gender dynamics in cyberbullying perpetration.