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Moderating Role of Perceived Social Support in the Relationship the Relationship Between Loneliness and Cyberbullying Among Undergraduate Students

Douglas, John Ufuoma, Eze, Boris Ejike, Ogbodo, Emmanuel Chukwuebuka, Corresponded author

Abstract

The rapid growth of digital communication has facilitated interactions among university students but has also increased concerns about cyberbullying. This study examined the predictive role of loneliness and perceived social support, and the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between loneliness and cyberbullying among undergraduates. A correlational design was employed with 394 students (178 females, 116 males; M_age = 28.96, SD = 12.91) from seven Nigerian higher institutions, selected using multi-stage (availability and purposive) sampling. Participants completed the Cyberbullying Questionnaire, UCLA Loneliness Scale, and Social Support Questionnaire. Moderated regression analysis using SPSS Version 27 revealed that loneliness (β = −0.608, p = .268) and social support from significant others, family, or friends did not significantly predict cyberbullying, nor did social support moderate the relationship between loneliness and cyberbullying. The final regression model, including demographic variables, explained 58.6% of the variance in cyberbullying (R2 = .586, F(8, 366) = 3.010, p < .05), with years of study emerging as a significant predictor (β = −0.932, p = .001). Findings indicate that loneliness and perceived social support may not independently or interactively influence cyberbullying, highlighting the need to consider broader social, technological, and contextual factors in higher education.

Keywords

cyberbullyinglonelinessperceived social supportundergraduate studentsmoderated regressionhigher education

References

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