Prevalence of Cyberbullying and Its Associated Factors Among High School Students in Klang District Malaysia
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: Adolescents in Malaysia face concerning rates of cyberbullying, with nearly half reporting victimization. This study investigated the prevalence and predictors of cyberbullying among adolescent in Selangor, Malaysia. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 606 students from April to May 2023 by using a validated self-administered questionnaire to assess cyberbullying behaviours and its predictors via multistage sampling method. Data was analysed using SPSS software version 28.0. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of cyberbullying. Results: Prevalence of cybervictimization were of 79.5% and 21.1% were cyber-perpetrator. High trait of conscientiousness (23.9%) was associated with cyber-perpetrator (p=0.027), while ethnicity, gender and academic performance emerged as significant predictors. Male were more likely to be perpetrators (AOR = 1.790, 95% CI: 1.189-2.693), and non-Malay students were less likely to be both victims and perpetrator, (AOR = 0.239, 95% CI: 0.139-0.413) and (AOR = 0.267, 95% CI: 0.139-0.413) respectively. Students with lower academic performance were also more susceptible to victimization (AOR = 1.912, 95% CI: 1.261-2.900). Conclusion: The prevalence rate shows cyberbullying is profoundly high among high school students. This study identified low academic performance, non-Malay ethnicities (Chinese/Indian), male gender as significant predictors of both cybervictimization and cyber-perpetration. This study highlights the need for further research in diverse populations to inform effective prevention strategies for cyberbullying among adolescents.
Downloads
Article Details
References
Marées N, Petermann F. Cyberbullying: An increasing challenge for schools. School Psychology International. 2012;33:467-76. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034312445241
Giumetti GW, Kowalski RM. Cyberbullying via social media and well-being. Current Opinion in Psychology. 2022;45:101314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101314
Uhls YT, Ellison NB, Subrahmanyam K. Benefits and costs of social media in adolescence. Pediatrics. 2017;140(Supplement_2):S67-S70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1758E
Vogels EA, Gelles-Watnick R, Massarat N. Teen, Social Media and Technology. 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/
Ying WK, Rahman MM, Kiyu A. Addiction Among Adolescents to Social Networking Sites in Malaysia: A Hierarchical Multiple Linear Regression Analysis: Addiction to social networking sites. Bangladesh Medical Research Council Bulletin. 2022;48(1):10-20. https://doi.org/10.3329/bmrcb.v48i1.60655
Zhu C, Huang S, Evans R, Zhang W. Cyberbullying among adolescents and children: a comprehensive review of the global situation, risk factors, and preventive measures. Frontiers in public health. 2021;9:634909. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.634909
Marret MJ, Choo WY. Factors associated with online victimisation among Malaysian adolescents who use social networking sites: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2017;7(6):e014959. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014959
UNICEF. 3 in 10 young people in Malaysia cyber-bullied. 2019. https://children4change.unicef.my/3-in-10-young-people-in-malaysia-cyberbullied/
Pang KY, Ku WL, Teng JHJ, Ling POH, Ooi PB. The Prevalence and Association of Cyberbullying and Depression in the Malaysian Adolescent Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies. 2023:1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2022.2159599
Sivabalan T, Zaki RA, Yuen CW. The Prevalence of Cyberbullying and its Associated Factors among Young Adolescents in Penang, Malaysia. Journal of Health and Translational Medicine. 2020:202-11.
González-Cabrera J, León-Mejía A, Beranuy M, Gutiérrez-Ortega M, Alvarez-Bardón A, Machimbarrena JM. Relationship between cyberbullying and health-related quality of life in a sample of children and adolescents. Quality of Life Research. 2018;27(10):2609-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-1901-9
Sittichai R. Information Technology Behavior Cyberbullying in Thailand: Incidence and Predictors of Victimization and Cyber-Victimization. Asian Social Science. 2014;10. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v10n11p132
DOSM. Current Population Estimate: Selangor. 2022:118. https://www.dosm.gov.my/portal-main/release-content/current-population-estimates-malaysia-2022
Selangor. HTAR One Stop Crisis Centre records the highest number of violence cases. Selangor Kini. 2015 6 March 2015. https://selangorkini.my/zh-hans/2015/03/htar-one-stop-crisis-centre-records-the-highest-number-of-violence-cases/
Navarro JN, Jasinski JL. Going Cyber: Using Routine Activities Theory to Predict Cyberbullying Experiences. Sociological Spectrum. 2012;32(1):81-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/02732173.2012.628560
Mohd Fadhli SA, Liew Suet Yan J, Ab Halim AS, Ab Razak A, Ab Rahman A. Finding the Link between Cyberbullying and Suicidal Behaviour among Adolescents in Peninsular Malaysia. Healthcare. 2022;10(5):856. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10050856
Gupta S, Bashir L. Social networking usage questionnaire: Development and validation in an Indian higher education context. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education. 2018;19(4):214-27. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.471918
Ku WL, Ooi PB, Chan NN. Pilot Study on Cyberbullying among Visually Impaired Youths. Proceedings. 2022;82(1):67. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2022082067
Rammstedt B, John OP. Measuring personality in one minute or less: A 10-item short version of the Big Five Inventory in English and German. Journal of Research in Personality. 2007;41(1):203-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2006.02.001
Kadir NByA. Lampiran Manual: Big Five Inventory - BFI 10 (Malay version). 2014.
Saman ZM, Siti-Azrin AH, Othman A, Kueh YC. The Validity and Reliability of the Malay Version of the Cyberbullying Scale among Secondary School Adolescents in Malaysia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(21):11669. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111669
Stewart RW, Drescher CF, Maack DJ, Ebesutani C, Young J. The Development and Psychometric Investigation of the Cyberbullying Scale. J Interpers Violence. 2014;29(12):2218-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260513517552
Hasanah CI, Naing L, Rahman AR. World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment: brief version in Bahasa Malaysia. Med J Malaysia. 2003;58(1):79-88.
Saleem S, Khan NF, Zafar S. Prevalence of cyberbullying victimization among Pakistani Youth. Technology in Society. 2021;65:101577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101577
NHMS. The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS): Adolescent Health Survey 2022. 2022. Report No.: MOH/S/IKU/199.23(RH)-e. https://iku.gov.my/images/nhms-2022/1a_Infografic_AHS_BI_15062023.pdf
Giordano AL, Prosek EA, Watson JC. Understanding Adolescent Cyberbullies: Exploring Social Media Addiction and Psychological Factors. Journal of Child and Adolescent Counseling. 2021;7(1):42-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/23727810.2020.1835420
Rodríguez-Enríquez M, Bennasar-Veny M, Leiva A, Garaigordobil M, Yañez AM. Cybervictimization among secondary students: social networking time, personality traits and parental education. BMC Public Health. 2019;19(1):1499. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7876-9
MCMC. Internet Users Survey 2022. 2022. Report No.: ISSN 1823-2523. https://mcmc.gov.my/skmmgovmy/media/General/IUS-2022.pdf
Bauman S, Cross DW, Walker J, editors. Principles of cyberbullying research: definitions, measures, and methodology2013. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203084601
Alotaibi N. Cyber Bullying and the Expected Consequences on the Students’ Academic Achievement. IEEE Access. 2019;7:153417-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2947163
Zhou Z, Tang H, Tian Y, Wei H, Zhang F, Morrison CM. Cyberbullying and its risk factors among Chinese high school students. School Psychology International. 2013;34(6):630-47. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034313479692
Horzum MB. Examining the relationship to gender and personality on the purpose of Facebook usage of Turkish university students. Comput Hum Behav. 2016;64:319-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.06.010
Peled Y. Cyberbullying and its influence on academic, social, and emotional development of undergraduate students. Heliyon. 2019;5(3):e01393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01393
Anderson CA, Bushman BJ. Human aggression. Annu Rev Psychol. 2002;53:27-51. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135231
Barlett CP, Coyne SM. Learning to cyberbully: Longitudinal relations between cyberbullying attitudes and perpetration and the moderating influence of participant sex: A brief report. Aggress Behav. 2023;49(5):547-53. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22089
Lai Cs, Mohaffyza M, Lee MF, Mohd Salleh K, Sulaiman N, Rosli Do, et al. Prevalence of Cyberbullying among Students in Malaysian Higher Learning Institutions. Advanced Science Letters. 2017;23:781-4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1166/asl.2017.7492
Sern LC, Mohamad MM, Foong LM, Salleh KM, Sulaiman NL, D’oria I, et al. Cyberbullying Among Malaysian Youth. Malaysian Journal of Youth Studies. 2016:121. https://www.iyres.gov.my/en/malaysian-journal-of-youth-studies-2019/2016/202-vol-15-disember/1689-cyberbullying-among-malaysian-youth
Alhajji M, Bass S, Dai T. Cyberbullying, Mental Health, and Violence in Adolescents and Associations With Sex and Race: Data From the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Glob Pediatr Health. 2019;6:2333794x19868887. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2333794X19868887
Sabramani V, Idris IB, Ismail H, Nadarajaw T, Zakaria E, Kamaluddin MR. Bullying and Its Associated Individual, Peer, Family and School Factors: Evidence from Malaysian National Secondary School Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(13):7208. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137208
Alagappar P, Len C, George M, Lee A, Wong M, Square LC. Gangsterism among teenagers in Malaysia. Taylor’s College. 2005.
Soh P, Yan Y, Ong T, Teh B. Digital Divide amongst Urban Youths in Malaysia – Myth or Reality? Asian Social Science. 2012;8. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v8n15p75
Roy M, Giraldo-García R. The role of parental involvement and social/emotional skills in academic achievement: global perspectives. School Community Journal. 2018;28(2):29-46. http://www.schoolcommunitynetwork.org/SCJ.aspx
Mofrad S, Uba I, editors. Parenting style preference in Malaysia. The European Conference on Psychology & the Behavioral Science; 2014: The International Academic Forum Brighton, UK. https://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/ecp2014/ECP2014_00703.pdf
Jia X, Wang J, Zhang Y. Parental support and bullying bystander behaviors in Chinese adolescents: Longitudinal mediation through social harmony. Front Public Health. 2023;11:994658. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.994658
Peow SH. A Preliminary Study of Malaysian Chinese Adolescents’ Life Goals and Values System. Available at SSRN 1537883. 2003. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1537883
Kowalski RM, Giumetti GW, Schroeder AN, Lattanner MR. Bullying in the digital age: a critical review and meta-analysis of cyberbullying research among youth. Psychol Bull. 2014;140(4):1073-137. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035618
Zhao W, Osman, M. N., Omar, S. Z., & Yaakup, H. S. Effects of Social Media Use Intensity on Ethnic Cultural Identity among Chinese International Students in Malaysia. ICCCM Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. 2022;1(6):16. https://doi.org/10.53797/icccmjssh.v1i6.6.2022
Lee EB. Cyberbullying:Prevalence and Predictors Among African American Young Adults. Journal of Black Studies. 2017;48(1):57-73. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1177/0021934716678393
Yang S-J, Stewart R, Kim J-M, Kim S-W, Shin I-S, Dewey ME, et al. Differences in predictors of traditional and cyber-bullying: a 2-year longitudinal study in Korean school children. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2013;22(5):309-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-012-0374-6
Livazović G, Ham E. Cyberbullying and emotional distress in adolescents: the importance of family, peers and school. Heliyon. 2019;5(6):e01992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01992