What do we know about cyberbullying assessment tools for Primary and Secondary Education students? A systematic review and meta-analytical study

New forms of violence, such as cyberbullying, have emerged partly due to the increased use of technological devices at an early age. This rise in risk situations has led to a proliferation in the number of instruments that assess these behaviors, requiring an exhaustive analysis to determine the contents they address, the age range in which they are validated, their psychometric properties, and the way in which they approach the conceptualization of cyberbullying. To this end, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, obtaining 3,859 results in the selected databases (Web of Science, Scopus, PsycInfo, PsicoDoc, ProQuest, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences and PubPsych), which through a screening process, resulted in the analysis of 28 cyberbullying assessment tools that met the established inclusion criteria ((I) scientific articles that were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals; (II) that were validated in the selected age range (Primary or Secondary Education); (III) that addressed cyberbullying; (IV) that were written in English, Spanish or Portuguese; (V) that validity and/or reliability be analyzed). Taking into consideration the meta-analytical approach, the internal consistency of the cyberbullying detection instruments and scales was found to be significant, and the meta-analysis showed satisfactory results. According to the qualitative interpretation of this statistic, all of the aforementioned scales showed reliable results (between 0.84 and 0.90). The data indicated a medium-to-large effect of the precision and reliability of the psychological scales of bullying and cyberbullying. Furthermore, with regard to the systematic review, it was possible to appreciate the need for the instruments to have a mixed methodology, establishing a connection between the macrosocial and microsocial frameworks. Similarly, it would be appropriate for these tools to address the subject from the age of eight, without combining educational stages or different variables. • Review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying assessment tools for students. • A universal conceptualization of bullying is needed for the validity of the results. • Instruments should be focused on one educational stage, not combining age groups. • Cyberbullying assessment tools should collect information from the age of eight. • Bullying and cyberbullying should not be analyzed together.