Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Traditional and Cyber Aggressors and Victims: A Comparison of Psychosocial Characteristics

  • Empirical Research
  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To date, relatively little is known about differences between perpetrators and victims of cyber and traditional forms of aggression. Hence, this study investigated differences among traditional and cyber aggressors and victims on psychosocial characteristics typically examined in research on traditional aggression and victimization, specifically effortful control, manipulativeness, remorselessness, proactive and reactive aggression, and anxious/depressive symptoms. Participants (N = 300; 63.2% female; M age = 12.89, SD = .95; 52% Caucasian, 27% African American, 11% Latino, and 10% other) were categorized based on aggressor type (non/low aggressor, traditional-only, cyber-only, and combined traditional and cyber) and victim type (non-victim, traditional-only, cyber-only, and combined traditional and cyber). Cyber aggressors reported lower levels of reactive aggression compared to traditional-only and combined aggressors. Combined aggressors demonstrated the poorest psychosocial profile compared to all other aggressor groups. For victimization, cyber-only and combined victims reported higher levels of reactive aggression and were more likely to be cyber aggressors themselves compared to traditional-only victims and non-victims. Findings suggest that there may be unique aspects about cyber aggression and victimization that warrant further investigation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Achenbach, T. M. (2001). Manual for the youth self-report and 2001 profile. Burlington, VT: Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agatston, P. W., Kowalski, R., & Limber, S. (2007). Student perspectives on cyber bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, S59–S60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Andershed, H., Kerr, M., Stattin, H., & Levander, S. (2002). Psychopathic traits in non-referred youths: A new assessment tool. In E. Blauuw & L. Sheridan (Eds.), Psychopaths: Current international perspectives (pp. 131–158). The Hague: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caspi, A. (2000). The child is father of the man: Personality continuities from childhood to adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 158–172.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clemans, K. H., & Sontag, L. M. (2009). Characteristics of adolescent aggressors: Peer vs. individual approaches. Paper presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Denver, CO.

  • Connor-Smith, J. K., Compas, B. E., Wadsworth, M. E., Thomsen, A. H., & Saltzman, H. (2000). Responses to stress in adolescence: Measurement of coping and involuntary stress responses. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 976–992.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crapanzano, A. M., Frick, P. J., & Terranova, A. M. (2010). Patterns of physical and relational aggression in a school-based sample of boys and girls. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38, 433–445.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • David-Ferdon, C., & Hertz, M. F. (2007). Electronic media, violence, and adolescents: An emerging public health problem. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, S1–S5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deater-Deckard, K. (2001). Annotation: Recent research examining the role of peer relationships in the development of psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42, 565–579.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dehue, F., Bolman, C., & Völlink, T. (2008). Cyberbullying: Youngsters’ experiences and parental perception. Cyber Psychology and Behavior, 11, 217–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodge, K. A., Coie, J. D., & Lynam, D. (2006). Aggression and antisocial behavior in youth. In N. Eisenberg, W. Damon, & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology (6th ed., Vol. 3, pp. 719–788). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, N., Valiente, C., Spinrad, T. L., Cumberland, A., Liew, J., Rieiser, M., et al. (2009). Longitudinal relations of children’s effortful control, impulsivity, and negative emotionality to their externalizing, internalizing, and co-occurring behavior problems. Developmental Psychology, 45, 988–1008.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, L. K., & Rothbart, M. K. (2001, April). Revision of the early adolescent temperament questionnaire. Poster presented at the 2001 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

  • Graber, J. A., & Sontag, L. M. (2009). Internalizing problems during adolescence. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (2nd ed., pp. 642–682). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawker, D. S., & Boulton, M. J. (2000). Twenty years’ research on peer victimization and psychosocial adjustment: A meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 441–455.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2008). Cyberbullying: An exploratory analysis of factors related to offending and victimization. Deviant Behavior, 29, 129–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, J. (2010). Online bullies pull schools into the fray. The New York Times, pp. A1, A12.

  • Hollingshead, A. B. (1975). Four factor index of social status. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katzer, C., Fetchenhauer, D., & Belschak, F. (2009). Cyberbullying: Who are the victims? Journal of Media Psychology, 21, 25–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kowalski, R. M., & Limber, S. P. (2007). Electronic bullying among middle school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, S22–S30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhr, K. (2010). Social media and mobile internet use among teens and young adults. Retrieved April 8, 2010, from http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Social-Media-and-Young-Adults.aspx.

  • Marsee, M. A., & Frick, P. J. (2007). Exploring the cognitive and emotional correlates to proactive and reactive aggression in a sample of detained girls. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 969–981.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, K. J., Ybarra, M., & Finkelhor, D. (2007). The relative importance of online victimization in understanding depression, delinquency, and substance use. Child Maltreatment, 12, 314–324.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nansel, T. R., Craig, W., Overpeck, M. D., Saluja, G., & Ruan, W. J. (2004). Cross-national consistency in the relationship between bullying behaviors and psychosocial adjustment. Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, 158, 730–736.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nederhof, A. J. (1985). Methods of coping with social desirability bias: A review. European Journal of Social Psychology, 15, 263–280.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2006). Bullies move beyond the schoolyard: A preliminary look at cyberbullying. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 4, 148–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prinstein, M. J., Boergers, J., & Vernberg, E. M. (2001). Overt and relational aggression in adolescents: Social-psychological adjustment of aggressors and victims. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 30, 479–491.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raine, A., Dodge, K., Loeber, R., Gatzke-Kopp, L., Lynam, D., Reynolds, C., et al. (2006). The reactive-proactive aggression questionnaire: Differential correlates of reactive and proactive aggression in adolescent boys. Aggressive Behavior, 32, 159–171.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Saltaris, C. (2002). Psychopathy in juvenile offenders: Can temperament and attachment be considered as robust developmental precursors? Clinical Psychology Review, 22, 729–752.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Strahan, R., & Gerbasi, K. C. (1972). Short, homogeneous versions of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 28, 191–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tigges, B. B. (2003). Parental consent and adolescent risk behavior research. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 35, 283–289.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vandenbosch, H., & Van Cleemput, K. (2008). Defining cyberbullying: A qualitative research into the perceptions of youngsters. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 11, 499–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Werner, N. E., Bumpus, M. F., & Rock, D. (2010). Involvement in internet aggression during early adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 607–619.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, K. R., & Guerra, N. G. (2007). Prevalence and predictors of internet bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, S14–S21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2004). Online aggressor/targets, aggressors, and targets: A comparison of associated youth characteristics. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 1308–1316.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2007). Prevalence and frequency of internet harassment instigation: Implications for adolescent health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, 189–195.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The research reported in this paper was supported by funds from an American Psychological Foundation (APF)/Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP) Graduate Research Scholarship in Psychology. This project was also supported by funds from the Bureau of Health Professions (BHPr), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), through a National Research Service Award Training Grant (T32HP10027-12; PI: Kristen Copeland, M.D.) awarded to Lisa M. Sontag, Ph.D. The information or content and conclusions are those of the authors and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by the BHPR, HRSA, DHHS or the US Government.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Adolescent Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, ML 4000, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Lisa M. Sontag

  2. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Katherine H. Clemans

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Julia A. Graber & Sarah T. Lyndon

Authors
  1. Lisa M. Sontag
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Katherine H. Clemans
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Julia A. Graber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sarah T. Lyndon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lisa M. Sontag.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sontag, L.M., Clemans, K.H., Graber, J.A. et al. Traditional and Cyber Aggressors and Victims: A Comparison of Psychosocial Characteristics. J Youth Adolescence 40, 392–404 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9575-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9575-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation