Psychopathy, impulsivity, and internet trolling: role of aggressive humour

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is first to conduct the reliability and validity analyses of the Turkish adaptation of the online trolling scale. The second aim is to examine online trolling behaviour in the context of psychopathy, which is one of the personality traits of the dark triad. In the first phase, the iTroll Questionnaire was adapted to Turkish. Two hundred thirty-four university students participated in the first part of the study. At this phase, confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis showed that all items of the scale were coherent and fit with the model. The results show that the scale is a reliable and valid measure. The second phase aims to investigate the mediating effect of aggressive humour on the relationship between impulsivity and iTrolling. Two hundred sixty-one adults participated in the second phase of the study. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the mediator role. The results demonstrate that aggressive humour mediates the relationship among psychopathy, impulsivity, and iTrolling. As a result, it appears critical to make trolls aware of the consequences of their actions, as impulsivity and aggressive humour contribute to trolling behaviour.

KEYWORDS:

• Aggressive humour
• iTrolling
• impulsivity
• psychopathy

Disclosure statement

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