Likelihood of intervention in cyberbullying among Spanish secondary school teachers: the interactive role of perceived responsibility and emotional intelligence

Cyberbullying constitutes an increasing risk factor for adolescents’ psychological well-being, with teachers playing a pivotal role in both prevention and intervention efforts. However, the indirect and less visible nature of cyberbullying often limits teachers’ actions against these aggressive online behaviors. Understanding which teacher-level factors are associated with intervention intentions is therefore important for improving school responses to cyberbullying. This study examined teachers’ psychological factors that are associated with their reported likelihood of intervening in cyberbullying situations, focusing on perceived responsibility, emotional intelligence (EI), and cybercompetence, understood as teachers’ perceived competence to manage cyberbullying situations. A sample of 945 Spanish secondary school teachers completed measures of perceived responsibility, EI, cybercompetence, and likelihood of intervention. Structural equation modeling revealed that perceived responsibility was positively associated with the likelihood of intervention, whereas neither EI nor cybercompetence showed significant direct associations with intervention likelihood. However, EI moderated the association between perceived responsibility and likelihood of intervention. Specifically, teachers with higher EI reported high intentions to intervene even when they felt less responsible, suggesting that EI can buffer the negative effect of low responsibility. These findings suggest that teachers’ sense of responsibility is a central factor in their reported likelihood of intervention, while EI may operate as a personal resource that helps sustain intervention intentions when responsibility is lower. Interventions that foster both a stronger sense of responsibility and EI may be effective in increasing teachers’ likelihood to act in cyberbullying cases, highlighting the need for training programs that address both attitudinal and emotional dimensions.