BACKGROUND
Social media cyberbullying has become a significant global public health issue. Nowadays, online violence has virus-like infectiousness and forms a cycle of bullying. Previous research has verified that bystanders can become perpetrators. However, few studies have explored the interaction between victims and perpetrators. There are indications that victims may be psychologically motivated to become potential perpetrators to "transfer pain," thus creating this cycle of bullying.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of current study is to explore the psychological motivation and verify the intervention effect of trait mindfulness in this process.
METHODS
Based on the "Stressor-Strain-Outcomes" framework, the current study combines social cognitive theory and the general aggression model. It uses cognitive empathy and moral disengagement as mediators to construct an influence model of social media cyberbullying victimization experiences on cyberbullying behavior intention. Moreover, we introduce trait mindfulness as a double buffer.
RESULTS
A questionnaire survey and data analysis of 360 social media users with cyberbullying victimization experiences revealed that: 1, cyberbullying victimization experiences have a significant positive effect on the cyberbullying behavior intention. 2, cognitive empathy and moral disengagement play mediating roles between the two. 3, trait mindfulness plays a double buffering role in this process.
CONCLUSIONS
The current study explains the infectious mechanism of cyberbullying and verifies the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in improving the cycle of cyberbullying, and extends the investigative lens of cyberbullying to reflect the unique characteristics of Chinese online culture. It also expands the research perspective of social media cyberbullying and broadens the application of mindfulness in communication and online behavior research, reinforcing its relevance and potential in the context of Chinese internet users.