Is It (Cyber)bullying? Assessing Adult Perceptions of Bullying and Cyberbullying Using a Mixed-Methods Approach

ABSTRACT

Despite decades of research on bullying and the influx of studies examining cyberbullying, there is no universal definition for either term. The lack of clarity in defining these terms may impact individuals’ ability to identify (cyber)bullying. Most prior research on bullying and cyberbullying has surveyed school children, their peers, and teachers about their experiences. However, much less research has examined if members of the general public can identify bullying and cyberbullying outside of the school setting. Therefore, the overall objective of the current study is to investigate adults’ ability to identify bullying and cyberbullying and examine the rationale for why respondents identified – or not – instances of verbal, physical, and cyberbullying. Data were collected from 652 adults aged 18 to 50 years old who were residing in the United States. Results suggest that most respondents identified each scenario as (cyber)bullying, however, the rationale behind their decisions varied. Seven themes were identified (e.g. repetition, power imbalance) as both reasons participants identified a situation as a form of bullying, along with reasons why they did not believe a situation was a form of bullying. Implications for policy, practice, and research are provided.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval

The University of Central Florida provided Institutional Review Board Approval.

Consent to participate

The University of Central Florida Institutional Review Board determined the study met the criteria for Exemption. As such, respondents were provided with an Explanation of Research Page and written consent was waived.

Notes

¹ Some respondents chose not to answer this question and others did not answer the prompt provided (i.e., gave nonsensical responses).

² Many responses were coded with multiple themes, thus, the total number of codes were higher than the number of responses.

³ See Appendices A through C for more information related to the selected definitions.

Additional information

Funding

Data collection was supported by internal funding provided by the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida.

Notes on contributors

Sara L. Bryson

Sara L. Bryson, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at East Carolina University. Her research focuses on decision-making within the juvenile justice system, juvenile delinquency, and bullying victimization. Her most recent research appears in Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and the Journal of Crime and Justice.

Erica R. Fissel

Erica R. Fissel, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida, with a secondary affiliation with Violence Against Women Research Cluster. Her primary research interests currently focus on interpersonal victimization that occurs in cyberspace, including cyberstalking, intimate partner cyber abuse, and cyberbullying. Her research explores correlates of victimization and perpetration, post-victimization experiences (e.g., reporting and help-seeking behaviors; consequences of victims), and public perceptions of cyber-based forms of abuse.