Exploring Cyberbullying among Primary Children in Relation to Social Support, Loneliness, Self-Efficacy, and Well-Being

The purpose of the current study was to examine cyberbullying among primary school children, with a focus on cyber-victimization in relation to social support, loneliness, selfefficacy and well-being. The study consisted of 398 Israeli students aged 10–12. Findings indicate a significant prevalence of cybervictimization (20.4%) among primary school children. Cyber-victimization was correlated with low social support, low self-efficacy, low subjective wellbeing, and high sense of loneliness. Possibilities for intervention programs for child welfare are discussed. The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of cyberbullying among primary school children, centering on cyber-victimization in relation to social and emotional aspects in children’s lives. While traditional bullying behaviors among primary school children have been examined fairly widely, only a few studies have addressed the phenomenon of cyberbullying among children in relation to these aspects.

The results of the current study indicate a higher prevalence of cyber-victims (20.4%) compared to adolescents’ sample (Olenik-Shemesh & Heiman, 2014). The results show that one out of five children is a cyber-victim. cyber-victimization was correlated with the examined socio-emotional variables: low social support, high sense of loneliness, low self-efficacy, and low subjective well-being. The regression analysis revealed that low levels of self-efficacy and well-being may predict a child’s potential cyber-victimization. Significant differences were found among the socio-emotional symptoms between cyber-victims and nonvictims, and while these differences may represent consequences of the victimization, they may also represent a socio-emotional predisposition state among the cyber-victims that creates higher vulnerability for them and a vicious cycle that is hard to stop