The Role of Parenting Styles and Empathy in the Perpetration of Cyberbullying in a Sample of Adolescents

Background: The study of cyberbullying has been growing worldwide; however, the literature is still scarce regarding risk and protection factors. Objectives: Therefore, the main objective of the present study was to analyze cyberbullying from the perspective of the aggressors and their association with authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles and with the two components of empathy. Methods: The sample consisted of 422 participants, students of the 2nd and 3rd cycles in schools and Secondary Education in the North region of Portugal, aged 12 to 17 years. For data collection, the Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Cyberbullying Questionnaire (CBQ), the Parenting Styles & Dimensions Questionnaire: Short Version (PSDQ), and the Short Version of the Basic Empathy Scale (BES-A) were used. Results: It was found that positive associations were identified between cyberbullying behaviours and authoritarian style in the father figure and the mother figure. Low positive associations were also identified between the father figure’s authoritative parenting style and cognitive empathy, and moderate positive associations between the mother figure’s authoritative parenting style and cognitive empathy. There were differences between males and females in both empathy components, with females showing higher levels of affective and cognitive empathy than males. Regarding parental styles, the authoritarian style of the father figure stood out as the only predictor of cyberbullying behaviors. Conclusions: It is considered important to educate parents towards healthier family functioning and encourage the abandonment of punitive discipline to promote a reduction in the perpetration of cyberbullying and an increase in empathy levels in the younger generation. It will also be important to raise awareness among adolescents about the consequences of internet misuse.