Left-Behind Experiences and Cyberbullying Behavior in Chinese College Students: The Mediation of Sense of Security and the Moderation of Gender

Left-behind children seem to be more sensitive in interpersonal communication, find it more difficult to establish a stable, safe relationship with surrounding people, and have fewer positive coping styles when encountering problems, thus the aim of the present study was to explore the association b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioral sciences 2023-12, Vol.13 (12), p.1001
Main Authors: Wang, Haiying, Wu, Shuang, Wang, Weichen, Xiao, Yuming
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggressiveness
Attachment
Behavior
College students
Communication
Cyberbullying
cyberbullying behavior
Emotions
Families & family life
Females
gender
Gender differences
Hypotheses
left-behind experiences
Males
Mediation
Mental disorders
Mental health
moderated mediating effect
Parents & parenting
Safety and security measures
Self esteem
sense of security
Social aspects
Students
Surveys
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:Left-behind children seem to be more sensitive in interpersonal communication, find it more difficult to establish a stable, safe relationship with surrounding people, and have fewer positive coping styles when encountering problems, thus the aim of the present study was to explore the association between left-behind experiences and cyberbullying behavior among Chinese college students through the mediation of sense of security and the moderation of gender. A questionnaire survey comprised 553 college students with left-behind experiences and 526 college students without such experiences. The results showed that, firstly, cyberbullying behavior was significantly higher in college students with left-behind experiences than those without such experiences; secondly, left-behind experiences and cyberbullying behavior in college students was partially mediated by a sense of security; and finally, that gender moderated the mediation of the sense of security between left-behind experiences and cyberbullying behavior. This study suggests the family environment is important for individual growth and illustrates how the influence of childhood left-behind experience persists in individuals.
ISSN:2076-328X
2076-328X
DOI:10.3390/bs13121001