Violent online games exposure and cyberbullying/victimization among adolescents

Publication Type:
Journal Article
Citation:
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2013, 16 (3), pp. 159 - 165
Issue Date:
2013-03-01
Filename Description Size
ContentServer (15).pdfPublished Version151.05 kB
Adobe PDF
Full metadata record
This population-based cross-sectional survey examined the association between exposure to violent online games and cyberbullying and victimization in adolescents recruited from two large cities utilizing a stratified two-stage random cluster sampling technique. Cyberbullying and victimization were assessed by the E-victimization and E-bullying scales validated in a previous study. Exposure to violent online games was measured by self-nomination of the degree of violent content in the games played. Results indicated that the majority (74.3 percent) of respondents did not experience any cyberbullying or victimization in the last 7 days before the survey, 14.4 percent reported to be victimized via cyberspace, 2.9 percent admitted that they had bullied others, and 8.4 percent reported to be both perpetrators- and- victims. One hundred and eighty seven (15.3 percent) considered games they were playing were of moderate to severe violence. Students who had been involved in cyberbullying as well as being victimized were two times as likely to have been exposed to violent online games, and nearly four times as likely for those involved in bullying others. Exposure to violent online games was associated with being a perpetrator as well as a perpetrator-and-victim of cyberbullying. Parents and clinicians need to be aware of the potential harm of these exposures. The policy implications of results were also discussed. © Copyright 2013, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 2013.
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: