Online and offline victimisation: a cluster analysis of adolescent victims of bullying and cyber-bullying in Chile

ABSTRACT

Bullying and cyberbullying victimisation are serious problems worldwide, especially among children and adolescents. However, there is much research on risk factors, the evidence about victim typologies that combine online and offline bullying with the specific nature of the victimisation episodes and other sociodemographic and individual features is still scarce. This study contributes by combining the poly-victim framework with the cyberbullying and online risk approaches. We used data from the Kids Online survey conducted in 2016 and analysed a national sample of 1,000 Internet users in Chile between 9 and 17 years old. The aim was to classify youth based on their cyber and traditional bullying experiences and examine the clusters’ features based on age, sex, socioeconomic status, technology use and skills, risky offline behaviours and well-being. A two-step cluster analysis identified three groups: poly-victims (23%), occasional digital victims (30%), and frequent offline victims (41%). These groups significantly differed by age, sex, Internet use, digital skills, risky offline behaviours and psychological characteristics. These results highlight the heterogeneity and complexity of both traditional and cyberbullying and the need to tailor interventions for diverse types of victims.

IMPACT SUMMARY

a. Prior State of Knowledge:

Bullying is a serious problem both in its traditional and cyber-forms. Both share commonalities and present divergences regarding risk factors and psychological consequences associated. Whereas they can be distinct types of victimisation, a significant percentage of victims suffer both.

b. Novel Contributions:

Frequent offline bullying, occasional digital victimisation, and poly-victimisation should be considered three victimisation forms. These three experiences differ significantly in their age and sex composition, Internet use, digital skills, risky offline behaviours and psychological characteristics.

c. Practical Implications:

Identification of victim groups is critical to developing a more tailored approach to support different victims and reduce various forms of harassment. Moreso, because the current impacts of bullying-prevention programs are relatively small.

KEYWORDS:

• cyberbullying
• bullying
• victimisation
• typologies
• adolescents
• online harassment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The two-cluster solution had a BIC of 1588.170 and a ratio of the distance of measures values of 1.440, whereas a four-cluster solution had a BIC of 1479.190 and ratio of the distance of measures values of 1.172.

Additional information

Funding

Support from ANID/PIA/Basal Funds for Centers of Excellence FB0003 (Chile) and from Fondo de Investigación Fundamental Clemente Estable, Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación (Uruguay), project FCE_3_2018_1_149415 are gratefully acknowledged. The authors would like to thank the support of the Ministry of Education of Chile and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Notes on contributors

Nicolás Trajtenberg

Nicolás Trajtenberg, PhD. is a lecturer at the School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University. His research interests are juvenile crime, criminological theory, philosophy of social sciences, and public policies. Address: King Edward VII Ave, Cardiff CF10 3NN, United Kingdom. Twitter: @nicotrajtenberg E-mail: [email protected]

Matías Dodel

Matías Dodel, PhD. is an Associate Professor at the Department of Social Sciences, at Universidad Católica del Uruguay. His research interests are digital inequalities, social stratification, digital safety, and cyber-crime. Address: Department of Social Sciences, Universidad Católica del Uruguay. Adress: Av. 8 de Octubre #2738, 11600, Montevideo, Uruguay. Twitter: @MatiDodel E-mail: [email protected]

Olga Sanchez De Ribera

Olga Sanchez de Ribera, PhD. is an Associate researcher of the Centre for Studies on Justice and Society, Universidad Católica de Chile. Her main areas of interest are neuro-criminology, sexual offending, rehabilitation of offenders, risk assessment, cyber abuse, psychopathy, meta-analysis. Address: Avenida Vicuña Mackenna #4860, Santiago de Chile. E-mail: [email protected]

Patricio Cabello

Patricio Cabello, PhD. is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Advanced Research in Education, at Institute of Education, Universidad de Chile. His research focuses on digital inclusion, participation, civic engagement, and education. He has been a consultant to UNESCO and UNICEF in projects for the digital inclusion of children and adolescents and has participated as a principal investigator in diverse projects. Address: Periodista José Carrasco Tapia #75, Santiago de Chile. Twitter: @CaelloPato E-mail: [email protected]

Magdalena Claro

Magdalena Claro, PhD. is Assistant Professor and Academic Director of the Center of Digital Education Practices, at the Faculty of Education of the Universidad Católica de Chile. Her research focuses on digital inclusion, the effects of the Internet on new generations, digital skills, and teaching and learning in digital environments. Address: Vicuña Mackenna #4860, Santiago de Chile. E-mail: [email protected]