Understanding Cyberbullying Perpetration Through Childhood Emotional Abuse: The Mediating Roles of Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions and Intolerance of Uncertainty

Abstract

Background: The increasing use of social media has created a context for a covert and persistent form of aggressive behavior known as cyberbullying perpetration (CP) that may disrupt interpersonal relationships in online spaces. Objectives: This study aimed to examine whether interpersonal cognitive distortions (ICD) and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) mediate the relationship between childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and CP. Materials and Methods: This descriptive correlational study was done on 375 active iranian social media users aged 18-35 years old used structural equation modeling (SEM). Data were collected using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), Cyberbullying Perpetration Questionnaire (CPQ), Interpersonal Cognitive Distortions Scale (ICDS), and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), and were analyzed using SEM. Results: The results indicated significant positive associations between CEA and CP (β = 0.300, P < 0.001) and between ICD and CP (β = 0.236, P < 0.001). In contrast, the direct association between IU and CP was not significant (β = -0.088, P = 0.079). CEA was also significantly associated with both ICD (β = 0.449, P < 0.001) and IU (β = 0.377, P < 0.001). The analysis revealed a statistically significant indirect association between CEA and CP through ICD (b = 0.189; 95% CI, 0.088 to 0.321; P = 0.001). In contrast, the indirect association through IU was not significant (b = -0.059; 95% CI, -0.148 to 0.021; P = 0.151), as the confidence interval included zero. Conclusions: These findings underscore the association between cognitive-social mechanisms, including attributional biases, cognitive restructuring, and moral reasoning, and tendencies toward CP, highlighting their potential relevance for the development of preventive interventions.