The attitude of senior pupils to the role of a witness to cyberbullying

Abstract

Cyberbullying as a scientific problem is one of the popular topics in foreign and domestic literature, but the main attention of researchers is primarily focused on the relationship that arises between the aggressor and the victim. The purpose of the study, the results of which are recorded in the article, is to identify personal characteristics that contribute to or hinder the manifestations of adequate behavior of high school students who have witnessed a cyberbullying situation. The key research tool was the Cyberbullying Witness Behavior Questionnaire. An additional analysis of the personal characteristics of high school students was carried out by means of an Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire and a Short questionnaire of the "dark triad" of qualities; socio-demographic information about the respondents was also collected. In total, 268 high school students aged 16 to 18 years took part in the study (approximately an equal number of girls and boys). The study showed that an adequate type of perception of cyberbullying situations prevails in this age group, but there were also some contradictions that were fixed in the processes of interaction between parents and teachers. Students of boys and girls aged 16-18 years, who have a higher level of empathy and emotional intelligence, show a more adequate attitude to the role of a witness to cyberbullying, while schoolchildren whose personalities are characterized by elements of psychopathic accentuation are more likely to show an inadequate attitude in the appropriate situation. In conclusion, the authors conclude that systematic work on the development of aggressive behavior control skills among high school students, taking into account all personal characteristics, will contribute to reducing the number of manifestations of violence in relationships within high school students' collectives.