The protective role of dispositional mindfulness against the perpetuation of cyberbullying victimization and perpetration among adolescents

Abstract

Few studies have examined the protective factors that contribute to reducing long-term involvement in cyberbullying (CB). This study examined whether dispositional mindfulness is associated with the reduced stability over time (i.e., long-term involvement) of CB victimization and perpetration and with the lower reciprocity of both. This was a three-wave longitudinal study spaced 6 months apart. The sample consisted of 985 high school students from the Basque Country (Spain). The participants completed a mindfulness measure at time one and measures of CB victimization and perpetration at three time points. Dispositional mindfulness was negatively associated with both CB victimization and CB perpetration over time. The predictive association between CB victimization and perpetration was reciprocal from time two to time three. Moreover, the interaction between dispositional mindfulness and CB victimization indicated that victimization was less stable over time when mindfulness was higher. The model was invariant across gender or age. The results indicate that CB is a long-term problem and that dispositional mindfulness can be beneficial because it predicts a lower frequency of CB victimization and perpetration over time.