ERIC Number: EJ1289782
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0897-5264
EISSN: N/A
Validating a Cyberbullying Victimization Measure among Undergraduates
Byrne, Virginia L.
Journal of College Student Development, v62 n1 p124-129 Jan-Feb 2021
"Cyberbullying"--the intentional, repeated online harassment of a person with less perceived social power--is a pervasive issue facing today's college students. As a result of cyberbullying, victimized students can suffer social, psychological, and academic consequences. This article reports the psychometric validation of a cyberbullying victimization scale determined to be a reliable instrument to evaluate college students and to inform evidence-based interventions and student support services. The research question at the outset of this study was: To what extent is a widely used adolescence cyberbullying victimization scale valid and reliable for a sample of college students? A sample of undergraduates enrolled at a large, mid-Atlantic, public research university was surveyed in February 2019. These students were taking a required general education writing course for juniors and seniors. The findings provide evidence of the construct validity and reliability of Patchin and Hinduja's scale for measuring cyberbullying victimization in a sample of college students. As opposed to the original one-factor solution, the scale measured three latent factors among a college student sample with adequate internal consistency: Mean Statements and Rumors, Image Appropriation, and Threats. Findings show that college students interpret being threatened as a different and potentially more severe type of victimization.
Descriptors: Bullying, Computer Mediated Communication, Victims, Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes, Construct Validity, Test Reliability, Research Universities, Public Colleges, Student Personnel Services, At Risk Students, Measures (Individuals)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A