Traditional Bullying Victimization and Cyberbullying Perpetration: the Role of Anger Rumination and Self-Control

Huaibin Jiang,1 Yinchuan Jin,2,3 Qun Yang2 1School of Education, Fujian Polytechnic Normal University, Fuzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Clinical Psychology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, People’s Republic of China; 3Innovation Research Institute, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yinchuan Jin, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medical Psychology, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 169, Changle West Road, Xincheng District, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710032, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected] Qun Yang, Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Medical Psychology, Fourth Military Medical University, No. 169, Changle West Road, Xincheng District, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710032, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: The transition from being a victim of traditional bullying to engaging in cyberbullying is an emerging area of research. However, not all adolescents who experience traditional bullying go on to perpetrate cyberbullying. Grounded in the General Aggression Model, this study investigates the longitudinal association between traditional bullying victimization and cyberbullying perpetration, focusing on the underlying mechanisms.Methods: In a longitudinal design, 442 middle school students (49.80% female, Mage = 13.02, SD = 0.85) completed a survey including the Victim Scale, Anger Rumination Scale, Self-Control Scale, and Cyberbullying Scale at baseline enrollment and at six-month follow-up.Results: Key findings include: (1) T1 Traditional bullying victimization did not directly predict later T2 cyberbullying perpetration; (2) T2 Anger rumination mediated the relationship between T1 traditional bullying victimization and T2 cyberbullying perpetration; (3) T1 Self-control moderated the link between T2 anger rumination and T2 cyberbullying perpetration, with stronger association observed in adolescents with lower self-control.Conclusion: These results highlight crucial pathways from traditional bullying victimization to cyberbullying perpetration in adolescents.Keywords: traditional bullying victimization, anger rumination, self-control, cyberbullying perpetration