Latent Profiles of Peer Attachment and Their Longitudinal Associations with Cyberbullying Perpetration and Cybervictimization Among Chinese Adolescents

As online interpersonal communication has become increasingly common in adolescents’ daily lives, cyberbullying perpetration and cybervictimization have emerged as important concerns. Although peer attachment may be relevant to cyberbullying involvement, previous research has predominantly adopted variable-centered approaches, with limited attention to heterogeneity in peer attachment. Using a person-centered approach, this study aimed to identify latent profiles of peer attachment among adolescents and examine whether peer attachment profiles were prospectively associated with cyberbullying perpetration and cybervictimization assessed six months later. A total of 1851 Chinese adolescents (845 boys and 1006 girls; aged 11–17 years, M = 13.53, SD = 1.45) participated in two assessments conducted six months apart. Peer attachment was assessed at Time 1, whereas cyberbullying perpetration and cybervictimization were assessed at Time 2. Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four profiles: secure profile (22.04%), intermediate profile (36.63%), low attachment profile (32.74%), and alienated profile (8.59%). Similar four-profile solutions emerged independently among boys and girls. Cyberbullying perpetration and cybervictimization differed significantly across profiles. The secure profile showed the lowest levels of both outcomes, followed by the intermediate profile, whereas the low attachment and alienated profiles showed the highest levels, with no significant differences between these two profiles on either outcome. These findings highlight the potential value of considering heterogeneity in peer attachment when identifying adolescents who may differ in their levels of subsequent cyberbullying involvement.