A Systematic review of published academic articles in the field of cyberbullying
Keywords:
cyberbullying, cyber victim, cyberstalking, cyberbullying sensitivityAbstract
This systematic review examines 33 academic articles published between 2015 and 2024 to explore contemporary trends in cyberbullying research. Guided by the PRISMA framework, the study systematically analyzes methodological approaches, behavioral typologies, and core findings. The literature reveals a significant proliferation of cyberbullying studies from 2020 onwards, directly coinciding with the surge in digital interactions during the pandemic. Typological analysis highlights threats, rumor dissemination, identity theft, privacy violations, ethno-religious cyberhate, and sexting as the most prevalent behaviors, which precipitate severe psychological consequences for victims, including anger, depression, social withdrawal, and conflict avoidance. Furthermore, distinct gender dynamics emerged: male students demonstrated a higher propensity for perpetration, while female students were more likely to report incidents—a divergence attributable to societal gender norms. In addressing this phenomenon, active parental mediation was found to be significantly more effective than restrictive strategies, which can occasionally prove counterproductive. Ultimately, the review underscores the critical need for proactive interventions, recommending specialized educator training, early digital citizenship education, public awareness initiatives, and the integration of game-based learning applications.
References
Balakrishnan, V., Khan, S., & Arabnia, H. R. (2020). Improving cyberbullying detection using Twitter users’ psychological features and machine learning. Computers & Security, 90, 101710.
Bandura, A. (1999). Moral disengagement in the perpetration of inhumanities. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3(3), 193–209.
Barlett, C., & Coyne, S. M. (2014). A meta‐analysis of sex differences in cyber‐bullying behavior: The moderating role of age. Aggressive behavior, 40(5), 474-488.
Calvo-Morata, A., Alonso-Fernández, C., Freire, M., Martínez-Ortiz, I. & Fernández- Manjón, B. (2020). Serious games to prevent and detect bullying and cyberbullying: A systematic serious games and literature review. Computers and Education, 157, 103958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103958
Chicote-Beato, M., González-Víllora, S., Bodoque-Osma, A. R. & Navarro, R. (2024). Cyberbullying intervention and prevention programmes in primary education (6 to 12 years): A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 77, 101938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2024.101938
Data Reportal. (2021). Digital Around the World. https://datareportal.com/global- digital-overview
Druck, K. & Kaplowitz, M. (2005). Setting up a no-bully zone. Virginia Journal of Education, 98(4), 11–13.
Englander, E., Donnerstein, E., Kowalski, R., Lin, C. A. & Parti, K. (2017). Defining cyberbullying. Pediatrics, 140(Supplement 2), 148–151. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1758U
Espelage, D. L. & Swearer, S. M. (Eds.). (2004). Bullying in American schools: A social-ecological perspective on prevention and intervention. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Evangelio, C., Rodríguez-González, P., Fernández-Río, J. & Gonzalez-Villora, S. (2022). Cyberbullying in elementary and middle school students: A systematic review. Computers and Education, 176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104356
Festl, R., Scharkow, M. & Quandt, T. (2013). The roots of cyberbullying: The role of aggressive behavior and Aathology of communication in predicting cyberbullying. MedienPädagogik: Zeitschrift für Theorie und Praxis der Medienbildung, 23(MedienPädagogik), 1-16.
Haidar, B., Chamoun, M. & Serhrouchni, A. (2017). A multilingual system for cyberbullying detection: Arabic content detection using machine learning. Advances in Science, Technology and Engineering Systems Journal, 2(6), 275– 284.
Heirman, W., & Walrave, M. (2008). Assessing concerns and issues about the mediation of technology in cyberbullying. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 2(2).
Hinduja, S. and Patchin, J.W. (2009). Bullying beyond the Schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA.
Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2010). Bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide. Archives of Suicide Research, 14(3), 206–221. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2010.494133
Jadambaa, A., Thomas, H. J., Scott, J. G., Graves, N., Brain, D. & Pacella, R. (2019). Prevalence of traditional bullying and cyberbullying among children and adolescents in Australia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 53(9), 878-888. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867419846393
Jenaro, C., Flores, N. & Frías, C. P. (2018). Systematic review of empirical studies on cyberbullying in adults: What we know and what we should investigate. Aggression and violent behavior, 38, 113-122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2017.12.003
Kowalski, R. M., Giumetti, G. W., Schroeder, A. N. & Lattanner, M. R. (2014). Bullying in the digital age: A critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychological Bulletin. 140(4), 1073. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035618.
Kumar, V. L., & Goldstein, M. A. (2020). Cyberbullying and adolescents. Current pediatrics reports, 8(3), 86-92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40124-020-00217-6
Law, D. M., Shapka, J. D., Domene, J. F. & Gagné, M. H. (2012). Are cyberbullies really bullies? An investigation of reactive and proactive online aggression. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(2), 664–672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.11.013.
Li, Q. (2006). Cyber-bullying in schools: A research of gender differences. School Psychology International, 27(2), 157–170. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034306064547.
Maurya, C., Muhammad, T., Dhillon, P. & Maurya, P. (2022). The effects of cyberbullying victimization on depression and suicidal ideation among adolescents and young adults: A three-year cohort study from India. Bmc Psychiatry, 22(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04238-x.
McLoughlin, L. T., Spears, B. A., Taddeo, C. M. & Hermens, D. F. (2019). Remaining connected in the face of cyberbullying: Why social connectedness is important for mental health. Psychology in the Schools, 56(6), 945–958. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22232.
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G. and Prisma Group. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement PLoS Medicine, 6(7), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
Navarro, R., Yubero, S., & Larrañaga, E. (2018). Cyberbullying victimization and fatalism in adolescence: Resilience as a moderator. Children and Youth Services Review, 84, 215-221.
Nikolaou, D. (2017). Does cyberbullying impact youth suicidal behaviors? Journal of Health Economics, 56, 30–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2017.09.009.
Núñez, A., Álvarez García, D., & Pérez Fuentes, M. C. (2021). Ansiedad y autoestima en los perfiles de cibervictimización de los adolescentes. Comunicar, XXIX (67), 47-59. https://doi.org/10.3916/C67-2021-04
Olweus, D. (1994). Bullying at School. In L. R. Huesmann (Ed.), Aggressive Behavior: Current Perspectives (pp. 97–130). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978- 1-4757-9116-7_5
Olweus, D. (2012). Cyberbullying: An overrated phenomenon? European journal of developmental psychology, 9(5), 520-538. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2012.682358
Patchin, J. W. & Hinduja, S. (2006). Bullies move beyond the schoolyard: A preliminary look at cyberbullying. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 4, 148–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204006286288
Patchin, J. W. & Hinduja, S. (2011). Traditional and nontraditional bullying among youth: A test of general strain theory. Youth and Society, 43(2), 727–751. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X10366951
Rigby, K. (2002). New perspectives on bullying. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Rosa, H., Pereira, N., Ribeiro, R., Ferreira, P. C., Carvalho, J. P., Oliveira, S., & Trancoso, I. (2019). Automatic cyberbullying detection: A systematic review. Computers in Human Behavior, 93, 333-345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.021
Selkie, E. M., Fales, J. L. & Moreno, M. A. (2016). Cyberbullying prevalence among US middle and high school–aged adolescents: A systematic review and quality assessment. Journal of Adolescent Health, 58(2), 125-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.09.026
Shariff, S. & Hoff, D. L. (2007). Cyber bullying: clarifying legal boundaries for school supervision in cyberspace International Journal of Cyber Criminology Vol 1(1), 76-118.
Slonje, R. & Smith, P. K. (2008). Cyberbullying: Another main type of bullying? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 49(2), 147–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2007.00611.x
Smith, P. K., Mahdavi, J., Carvalho, M., Fisher, S., Russell, S. & Tippett, N. (2008). Cyberbullying: Its nature and impact in secondary school pupils. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(4), 376–385. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01846.x.
Sticca, F. & Perren, S. (2013). Is cyberbullying worse than traditional bullying? Examining the differential roles of medium, publicity, and anonymity for anticipated hurt. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(5), 739–750.
Storch, E. & Masia-Warner, C. (2004). The relationship of peer victimization to social anxiety and loneliness in adolescent females. Journal of Adolescence, 27(3), 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2004.03.003
Suárez-García Z, Álvarez-García D, García-Redondo P, Rodríguez C (2020) The effect of a mindfulness-based intervention on attention, self-control, and aggressiveness in primary school pupils. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072447
Suler, J. (2004). The online disinhibition effect. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 7(3), 321–326. https://doi.org/10.1089/1094931041291295
Tokunaga, R. S. (2010). Following you home from school: A critical review and synthesis of research on cyber bullying victimization. Computers in Human Behavior, 26, 277–287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. chb.2009.11.014.
UNICEF (2020). Cyberbullying: What is it and how to stop it. https://www.unicef.org/stories/how-to-stop-cyberbullying
Willard, N. (2006). Flame retardant. School Library Journal, 52(4), 54–56.
Zhu, C., Huang, S., Evans, R. & Zhang, W. (2021). Cyberbullying Among Adolescents and Children: A Comprehensive Review of the Global Situation, Risk Factors, and Preventive Measures. In Frontiers in Public Health (pp. 1– 12). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.634909
Zych, I., Ortega-Ruiz, R. & Del Rey, R. (2015). Scientific research on bullying and cyberbullying: Where have we been and where are we going. Aggression and violent behavior, 24, 188-198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2015.05.015
