Cybervictimization and Emotional Symptoms in Adolescents: Mediating Role of Psychological Flexibility Versus Inflexibility

Overview

Journal Front Psychol

Date 2025 Feb 21

PMID 39980885

Authors

Maria Del Mar Molero Jurado

Africa Martos Martinez

Maria Del Carmen Perez-Fuentes

Rosa Maria Del Pino Salvador

Jose Jesus Gazquez Linares

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Cyberbullying significantly affects adolescents, increasing the risk of negative emotional symptoms. This study explores how psychological flexibility and inflexibility may mediate this relationship, focusing on adolescent mental health in the context of cyberbullying.

Methods: A sample of 2,171 secondary school students, aged 11-18 years, was used to assess cyberbullying, emotional symptoms, and levels of psychological flexibility and inflexibility.

Results: Cybervictimization showed a direct relationship with emotional symptoms and psychological inflexibility. Psychological flexibility was negatively associated with cybervictimization and positively associated with mental health, acting as a protective mediator against the association of cyberbullying.

Conclusion: Psychological flexibility emerges as a key factor in reducing the negative association of cybervictimization in adolescents. These findings highlight the importance of developing strategies to improve psychological flexibility in young people as a means to strengthen their resilience in the face of cyberbullying and its emotional consequences.

References

Ruiz F, Odriozola-Gonzalez P . The Spanish version of the Work-related Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (WAAQ). Psicothema. 2014; 26(1):63-8. DOI: 10.7334/psicothema2013.110. View

Ehrenreich S, George M, Burnell K, Underwood M . Importance of Digital Communication in Adolescents' Development: Theoretical and Empirical Advancements in the Last Decade. J Res Adolesc. 2021; 31(4):928-943. DOI: 10.1111/jora.12643. View

Garcia-Vazquez F, Duron-Ramos M, Perez-Rios R, Perez-Ibarra R . Relationships between Spirituality, Happiness, and Prosocial Bystander Behavior in Bullying-The Mediating Role of Altruism. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2022; 12(12):1833-1841. PMC: 9777524. DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe12120128. View

Zhao Y, Han L, Teopiz K, McIntyre R, Ma R, Cao B . The psychological factors mediating/moderating the association between childhood adversity and depression: A systematic review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022; 137:104663. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104663. View

Fernandez-Artamendi S, Martinez-Loredo V, Lopez-Nunez C . Sex Differences in Comorbidity Between Substance Use and Mental Health in Adolescents: Two Sides of the Same Coin. Psicothema. 2021; 33(1):36-43. DOI: 10.7334/psicothema2020.297. View

Ruiz-Esteban C, Mendez I, Fernandez-Sogorb A . Introduction to the Special Issue on Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2022; 12(6):616-618. PMC: 9222095. DOI: 10.3390/ejihpe12060045. View

Welch B . The generalisation of student's problems when several different population variances are involved. Biometrika. 2010; 34(1-2):28-35. DOI: 10.1093/biomet/34.1-2.28. View

Kim S, Colwell S, Kata A, Boyle M, Georgiades K . Cyberbullying Victimization and Adolescent Mental Health: Evidence of Differential Effects by Sex and Mental Health Problem Type. J Youth Adolesc. 2017; 47(3):661-672. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-017-0678-4. View

Rolffs J, Rogge R, Wilson K . Disentangling Components of Flexibility via the Hexaflex Model: Development and Validation of the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI). Assessment. 2016; 25(4):458-482. DOI: 10.1177/1073191116645905. View

10.

Giommi F, Bauer P, Berkovich-Ohana A, Barendregt H, Brown K, Gallagher S . The (In)flexible self: Psychopathology, mindfulness, and neuroscience. Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2023; 23(4):100381. PMC: 10033904. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100381. View

11.

Hagquist C, Andrich D . Recent advances in analysis of differential item functioning in health research using the Rasch model. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2017; 15(1):181. PMC: 5606090. DOI: 10.1186/s12955-017-0755-0. View

12.

Lindfors P, Kaltiala-Heino R, Rimpela A . Cyberbullying among Finnish adolescents--a population-based study. BMC Public Health. 2012; 12:1027. PMC: 3585473. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-1027. View

13.

Ruiz F, Langer Herrera A, Luciano C, Cangas A, Beltran I . Measuring experiential avoidance and psychological inflexibility: The Spanish version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - II. Psicothema. 2013; 25(1):123-9. DOI: 10.7334/psicothema2011.239. View

14.

Fredrick S, Demaray M . Peer victimization and suicidal ideation: The role of gender and depression in a school-based sample. J Sch Psychol. 2018; 67:1-15. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsp.2018.02.001. View

15.

Malti T, Galarneau E, Peplak J . Moral Development in Adolescence. J Res Adolesc. 2021; 31(4):1097-1113. DOI: 10.1111/jora.12639. View

16.

Cherry K, Hoeven E, Patterson T, Lumley M . Defining and measuring "psychological flexibility": A narrative scoping review of diverse flexibility and rigidity constructs and perspectives. Clin Psychol Rev. 2021; 84:101973. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2021.101973. View

17.

Bond F, Hayes S, Baer R, Carpenter K, Guenole N, Orcutt H . Preliminary psychometric properties of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II: a revised measure of psychological inflexibility and experiential avoidance. Behav Ther. 2011; 42(4):676-88. DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2011.03.007. View

18.

Gonzalez-Cabrera J, Leon-Mejia A, Beranuy M, Gutierrez-Ortega M, Alvarez-Bardon A, Machimbarrena J . Relationship between cyberbullying and health-related quality of life in a sample of children and adolescents. Qual Life Res. 2018; 27(10):2609-2618. DOI: 10.1007/s11136-018-1901-9. View

19.

Herruzo C, Sanchez-Guarnido A, Pino M, Lucena V, Raya A, Herruzo F . Suicidal Behavior and Problematic Internet Use in College Students. Psicothema. 2023; 35(1):77-86. DOI: 10.7334/psicothema2022.153. View

20.

Hong J, Kral M, Sterzing P . Pathways From Bullying Perpetration, Victimization, and Bully Victimization to Suicidality Among School-Aged Youth: A Review of the Potential Mediators and a Call for Further Investigation. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2014; 16(4):379-90. DOI: 10.1177/1524838014537904. View