The Relationship Between Perceived Chronic Social Adversity And Cyberbullying Among College Students: The Chain Mediating Effect Of Loneliness And Rumination

With the rapid progress and development of society,social media has been widely applied in people’s daily lives.Cyberbullying,as a new type of bullying,has attracted people’s attention.Given the anonymity,freedom,and serious consequences of the internet,it is necessary for researchers to thoroughly describe the current situation of cyberbullying and explore its influencing mechanism.Perceived chronic social adversity refers to an individual’s perception of negative social events,such as social exclusion and isolation,excessive control,and social competition failure.According to the General Adaptation Syndrome theory,to alleviate the perceived chronic social adversity,individuals may engage in cyberbullying behavior on the internet to achieve cognitive,emotional,and behavioral balance.Some studies also suggest that loneliness and rumination may mediate the relationship between perceived chronic social adversity and cyberbullying.Based on relevant theories and previous research,this study constructed a structural model with perceived chronic social adversity as the predictor variable,cyberbullying as the outcome variable,and loneliness and rumination as the mediating variables.To test this model,this study collected 957 valid questionnaires using tools such as the Perceived Chronic Social Adversity Questionnaire,the College Students’ Rumination Scale,the Loneliness Questionnaire,and the Cyberbullying Behavior Questionnaire,and processed and analyzed the data using SPSS23.0.The following conclusions were drawn:(1)cyberbullying,perceived chronic social adversity,loneliness,and rumination showed different degrees of differences in different demographic variables;(2)there was a significant positive correlation between cyberbullying,perceived chronic social adversity,loneliness,and rumination;(3)loneliness and rumination played a chain-mediated role in the relationship between perceived chronic social adversity and cyberbullying.An increase in college students’ perceived chronic social adversity levels is likely to induce an increase in their loneliness levels,which in turn prompts them to engage in rumination and eventually leads to cyberbullying behavior.To enhance the physical and mental health of college students and jointly build a green and healthy online environment,this study proposes the following educational suggestions:(1)raise awareness of the harm of cyberbullying and strengthen the cultivation of psychological qualities;(2)adopt a positive attitude towards perceived chronic social adversity and learn to cope with stress and setbacks;(3)change the negative impact of loneliness on oneself;(4)change the mode of thinking and stop mental exhaustion.