The connection of committing and experiencing cyber-bullying peer violence with depression, anxiety and stress in high school students
Authors: Draganic Marija 
Published: August 2021

<p></p><p>This
research has aimed to determine whether cyber-bullying peer violence is
associated with depression, anxiety and stress in high school students. The research
results are based on the data obtained from a sample of 202 Montenegrin high
school students. It has been established that committing and experiencing e-violence
is associated with depression. Committing and experiencing verbal online violence,
as well as involvement in online counterfeiting/criminal acts, is associated
with depression, while involvement in online identity concealment and lies has
no connection with depression. When it comes to anxiety, the results of this
research show that involvement in verbal e-violence and in online counterfeiting/criminal
acts leads to anxiety, while committing and experiencing online identity concealmentis
not related to anxiety. When it comes to committing and experiencing verbal online
violence and stress, although there is a statistically significant difference,
it is not applicable for all values. Consequently, we cannot draw a strong
enough conclusion about it. Victims of online counterfeiting and criminal acts,
according to the results of our research, have a higher level of stress than
those not involved in this type of cyber-bullying peer violence.</p><p><i>Cyber victim and bullying scale </i>has been used to collect data on committing and
experiencing e-violence among peers (Cetin, Yaman and Peker, 2011).Permission to use this scale was requested and obtained. The scale
examines experiencing and committing online violence. It consists of two parts,
each part containing 22 particles. In the first part (<i>Experiencing cyber-bullying </i>subscale), participants have assessed
whether the described behavior happened to them,on a scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always).
In the second part (<i>Committing cyber-bullying
</i>subscale), and with identical particles, respondents have assessed whether
they themselves behaved in this way. </p><p></p><p>

</p><p><i>In our research,
we have performed a factor analysis of the </i><i>Cyber victim and bulling
scale .</i></p>

<p>When it comes to the <i>Committing cyber-bullying </i>subscale, the percentage of explained
variance amounts to 55.141%, whereas factor analysis also points to 3 factors,
namely: a) verbal online violence; b) online identity concealment and lies; and
c) online counterfeiting and criminal acts.</p>

<p>When it comes to the <i>Experiencing
cyber-bullying</i> subscale, the percentage of
explained variance amounts to 65,211%, whereas factor
analysis also points to 3 factors, namely: a) verbal
online violence;
b) online identity concealment and lies; and c) online counterfeiting and criminal acts.<i> W</i>e have used a scale for
assessing the depression, anxiety and stress levels (DASS21) to determine whether
experiencing e-violence leads to depression, anxiety and stress,and to what
extent. We have chosen this scale because the results of a research checking
its psychometric qualities have indicated that the DASS-21 scale’s psychometric
qualities recommend it for use in researching unpleasant emotional states in
adolescents. DASS-21 is a 21-item self-report measure giving three subclasses
of seven items each: depression , anxiety and
stress. Participants have been asked to indicate which statement applied to
them over the past week on the Likert 4-point scale. DASS-21 has high reliability,
consistent factor structure and high convergent valiadity. We did not have to ask permission for this scale and it can be used freely.</p><p></p>