Self-Control and Social Control Predictors of Developmental Trajectories of Online and Offline Bullying

Background/Purpose:

Increased activity in the online domain poses a greater challenge for practitioners and researchers to understand predictors of adolescent bullying experience. The goal of this study is to identify factors that predict online and offline bullying perpetration based on two theories of control; self-control theory focuses on internal control mechanisms, whereas social control theory addresses the importance of social bonds and relationships in preventing adolescent risk behavior. Given the developmental transitions in bullying behavior, this study takes a longitudinal trajectory approach. Specifically, this study asks: What type of latent developmental trajectories of online and offline bullying perpetration are experienced in middle school to high school? What control factors—internal or external—predict these trajectories?

Methods:

This study merged waves 4-9 of the Seoul Education Longitudinal Study (N=2,107) provided by the Seoul Education Research & Information Institute. A latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was conducted to derive nonlinear latent development trajectories of online and offline bullying from the first grade in middle school to the third grade in high school. After latent trajectories were selected, logistic regression analysis was performed to verify how internal control (self-control) and external control (career maturity, peer relation, and learning attitude) is related to membership in each latent trajectory. Control variables (gender, average monthly household income, parent education level, frequency of computer and smartphone use) were considered.

Results:

Three latent trajectories were identified—low-risk, middle school risk, and high-school risk. Developmental patterns of online and offline bullying were similar for all three trajectories. The low-risk group had a statistically significantly lower level of online/offline bullying compared to the two risk groups in all waves. The middle school risk group had high levels of online/offline bullying during the transition to middle school, and the high school risk group showed similarly high levels during the transition to high school. In logistic regression analysis, the lower the career maturity, the higher the probability of belonging to the middle school risk trajectory compared to the low-risk trajectory (b=-.618, p<.05), and the lower the self-control, the higher the probability of belonging to the high school risk trajectory than the low-risk trajectory (b=-.616, p<.05).

Conclusions and Implications:

The current study identified developmental trajectories of offline/online bullying and examined how theoretical factors are linked with these trajectories. Developmental trajectories of bullying perpetration showed equivalent patterns across online and offline domains, supporting the existing literature that highlight conceptual similarities between online and offline bullying behavior. Generally, the level of online bullying perpetration was higher than that of offline; this addresses the need to consider in prevention the special characteristics of the online environment that instigates bullying. Additionally, the two types of control differently predicted each trajectory. Specifically, lower social control was associated with involvement in bullying perpetration during middle school transition and lower self-control predicted bullying engagement during high school transition. These findings shed light on providing appropriate prevention and intervention programs to prevent perpetration during school transition periods.