The nature and impact of cyberbullying among South African youth : an explanatory analysis
Cyberbullying, bullying via electronic media and communication, is on the increase. It has been thrust to the forefront of the public agenda, with concerns about the psychological and health impacts resulting from online victimisation. There is limited research on the phenomenon and the extent of the problem is unknown in South Africa. Furthermore, inconsistencies between the various definitions has added to our understanding of the problem, and factors influencing cyberbullying are not comprehensively known. This dissertation proposes an alternate definition which does not rely upon repetition as a major characteristic, and investigates the extent of which guardianship and self-control influence online behaviours. 3033 adolescent children aged 11 to 17 from seventeen South African schools responded to our survey examining the nature, extent and impacts of cyberbullying. Incidents of cyberbullying were examined in relation to gender, age and school grade, internet usage, traditional bullying factors, and economic factors. There was a significant incidence of cyberbullying including in primary schools (Grades 6 and 7), and among those pupils exhibiting traditional bullying victim and perpetrator attributes. In contradiction to current research, there were correlations to gender with girls reporting significantly more incidents of cyber victimisation. Cyberbullying impacts were perceived as negative, eliciting feels of anger, fear and depression. Where significant, the results from 2014 were compared to the 2012 results. The results also indicate that in online bullying, repetition was not a factor, and victims reported no less impact from a single incident compared to repetitive incidents.
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