Relationship Between Cyberbullying and Social Anxiety, School Refusal, and Academic Goals in Adolescents.

Examining the associations between cyberbullying involvement and psychoeducational factors may contribute to a better understanding of adolescents' experiences in online peer contexts. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between cyberbullying involvement, considering the roles of cybervictim, cyberaggressor, and cyberbystander, and three psychoeducational constructs: social anxiety, school refusal, and academic goals. A total of 1,412 Spanish secondary and upper-secondary school students aged 12-18 years (M = 14.36, SD = 1.65) completed a battery of questionnaires assessing cyberbullying, social anxiety, school refusal, and academic goals. Three independent binary logistic regression models were conducted, one for each cyberbullying role, using the psychoeducational dimensions as predictors. The findings showed that the associations varied according to both the psychoeducational dimension and the cyberbullying role. In particular, Discomfort and avoidance in social situations in general was positively associated with cybervictimization, cyberaggression, and cyberbystanding, whereas other dimensions of social anxiety showed negative associations with some roles. Avoidance of stimuli or situations related to the school context was positively associated with the three cyberbullying roles. Learning and Achievement goals were negatively associated with cybervictimization, cyberaggression, and cyberbystanding, whereas Social reinforcement goals were positively associated with cyberaggression. These findings highlight the multidimensional nature of the associations between psychoeducational factors and cyberbullying involvement and support the consideration of individual and educational variables in the design of prevention and intervention strategies during adolescence.