The Role of Verbal Aggression in Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization by Middle School Students

Abstract

This manuscript examined the role trait verbal aggression plays in cyberbullying victimization and perpetration in adolescence. More than 400 middle school students (46.8% males and 52.2% females) completed a questionnaire on trait verbal aggression and their history of cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Linear regression analyses revealed that trait verbal aggression was a statistically significant predictor of both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization, that cyberbullying perpetration and cyberbullying victimization are related, and that cyberbullying perpetration appears to increase with age, while cyberbullying victimization does not. Ideas and implications for future applications of verbal aggression and cyberbullying are discussed.