Introduction: Cyberbullying has received recent research attention due to the frequent of these behaviors in the school. This aggressive behavior is not only frequent but is also related to more behaviors of aggression in the future. Recently numerous studies have shown the importance of personal resources but however, little is known about the potential role of the educative context, such as teacher and classmate support (TCS) to diminish these behaviors in the future. The aim of this study is to examine the associations between cyberaggression and TCS to with the intention of predicting cyberaggressive behaviors five months hence.
Method: A total of 442 high school students (12-18 years), from two high school centers in Andalusia, Spain, voluntarily participated in the present study. At Time 1, they completed a cyberaggression scale and a scale measuring teacher and classmate support. Subsequently, five months later (Time 2), the cyberaggression scale was administered once again.
Results: After controlling for demographic covariates, the results revealed that the cyberaggression × teacher support and cyberaggression × classmate support interaction term was found to significantly diminish the prediction of cyberbullying aggression five months later. Specifically, cyberaggressive adolescents with high TCS, compared to those with low support, reported significantly lower levels of cyberbullying behaviors in the future.
Conclusions: This study provides evidence for the key role of teacher/classmate support to mitigate the violent behavior. The implications derived from the current findings are discussed in the context of the protective function exercised by TCS in averting aggressive behavior. The outcomes indicate that interventions aimed at countering cyberbullying should not only address the direct aspects of such behavior but also emphasize the cultivation of a positive classroom atmosphere through support provided by both teachers and classmates.
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