Balancing the Impact of Cyberbullying on Academic Performance: The Moderating Role of Sports Engagement

At present, the prevalence of social networks provides academic support for female high school students by addressing their educational queries. However, cyberbullying has also emerged as a widespread issue among this demographic. For some individuals who have experienced cyberbullying, the malicious behavior encountered on social platforms contributes to the development of academic burnout. To address this phenomenon, sports engagement—given its psychological adjustment benefits—may serve as an effective intervention to alleviate their academic burnout. Based on this premise, this study collected a sample of 503 female high school students who had experienced cyberbullying and employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the impact of cyberbullying on their academic burnout, as well as the moderating role of sports engagement. The results indicate that cyberbullying significantly increases emotional exhaustion and de-individuation among female high school students while markedly reducing their sense of learning effectiveness. On the other hand, sports engagement demonstrates an overall positive moderating effect, mitigating the influence of cyberbullying on their overall academic burnout. This study reasonably concludes that cyberbullying is a significant contributing factor to academic burnout among female high school students, adversely affecting both their academic performance and psychological well-being. In the digital era, these findings provide a valid basis for high schools to adopt innovative pedagogical strategies that encourage active sports engagement, thereby counteracting the negative effects of academic burnout. Additionally, the study offers insights for preventing cyberbullying in high school settings and mitigating its subsequent adverse consequences.