Emotions of perpetrators and victims of cyberbullying: A preliminary study of secondary school pupils

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have generated new forms of communication. As in traditional communication scenarios, potentially harmful relational dynamics, such as intimidation and harassment between peers (cyberbullying), may develop in these scenarios. In addition, some of the characteristics of these new forms of communication may facilitate the establishment of these forms of aggression. This study analyzes the emotional perceptions of the pupils involved in cyberbullying via the Internet. Participants were 830 pupils from 10 secondary schools in Cordoba (Spain). The instrument used was "Cuestionario Cyberbullying" (Ortega, Calmaestra & Mora-Merchan, 2007). Results confirmed that, as in traditional bullying, bullies and victims show different emotional perceptions about the victim s suffering. Data suggest that bullies and aggressive-victims may show an emotional perception deficit that could mean they are insensitive to the victim s feelings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: journal abstract)