Mediating Roles of Self-Esteem and Empathy in the Relation Between Mindfulness and Cyberbullying Perpetration Among Adolescents: A Longitudinal Perspective

ABSTRACT

Prior research has documented that mindfulness is negatively associated with aggressive behaviors. Recently, studies have examined mediating psychological constructs that account for the relationships between mindfulness and cyberbullying perpetration. The purpose of the current study was to examine the longitudinal relationship between mindfulness and cyberbullying behaviors through the mediating variables of self-esteem and empathy. This study used a two-wave longitudinal design. The final sample consisted of 661 Chinese junior high school students. Participants completed four self-report questionnaires including mindfulness, self-esteem, empathy, and cyberbullying perpetration. Structural equation modeling revealed that mindfulness was significantly related to cyberbullying perpetration over time. Self-esteem and empathy significantly mediated the relationship between mindfulness and cyberbullying. Future research may focus on the potential mechanisms linking mindfulness and other protective factors with cyberbullying perpetration to facilitate the development and use of cyberbullying interventions.

KEYWORDS:

• Mindfulness
• cyberbullying perpetration
• self-esteem
• empathy
• adolescents

Acknowledgments

CL and GFY contributed equally to this paper.

Disclosure statement

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

Authorship contribution statement

CL and GFY designed the study, performed data analysis, and wrote the initial manuscript. HWF, JZ, SW, and YA performed data interpretation, editing, and gave critical review. JZ and JL assisted in data collection and gave critical review. All authors contributed to and approved the final manuscript for submission.

Additional information

Funding

Caimeng Liu’s work is supported by a research grant (CSXL-22231) from Chengdu Medical College - Sichuan Applied Psychology Research Center.

Notes on contributors

Caimeng Liu

Ms. Caimeng Liu is a lecturer in the School of Education Science at Leshan Normal University. Her research interests include the mental health of children and adolescents in China.

Guangzhe Frank Yuan

Dr. Guangzhe F. Yuan is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior at the University of South Carolina. His recent research has focused on the mental health problems of people living with HIV and psychological distress in adolescents and young adults.

Hong Wang Fung

Dr. Hong Wang Fung is a postdoctoral fellow with congenital disabilities in Hong Kong. Expertise/Research focus: Mental health, trauma, complex PTSD, dissociation, psychosocial care, and ICT in health and social services.

Jingjing Zhao

Ms. Jingjing Zhao is a psychological counselor specializing in adolescent mental health issues.

Wei Shi

Dr. Wei Shi is an associate professor at Sichuan University. Her main research interests are: disasters and mental health, trauma exposure and psychological development, and psychological counseling and treatment.

Yuanyuan An

Dr. Yuanyuan An is an associate professor at Nanjing Normal University. Her research interests include mental health problems (e.g., depression, anxiety, and PTSD) in disaster-exposed children and adolescents.

Jiaxin Liu

Ms. Jiaxin Liu is a teacher at Experiential Middle School - No. 2 High School. She is interested in mental health education for middle school students.