Peer attachment and cyberbullying perpetration in adolescents: Examining interpersonal sensitivity and traditional bullying victimization as sequential mediators and parental monitoring as a moderator

Peers exert a substantial influence on the cyberbullying involvement of children and adolescents. However, current evidence that explores the relationship between peer attachment and cyberbullying perpetration remains rare, and even less is known about the underlying mechanism of this association. Aiming to address these research gaps, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 2001), which examined the relationship between peer attachment, interpersonal sensitivity, traditional bullying victimization, parental monitoring, and cyberbullying perpetration. The results indicated that interpersonal sensitivity and traditional bullying victimization fully mediated the association between peer attachment and cyberbullying perpetration, not only respectively but also through a sequential mediating pathway. Moreover, parental monitoring moderated the association between interpersonal sensitivity and cyberbullying perpetration, but it did not significantly moderate the relationship between traditional bullying victimization and cyberbullying perpetration in our conceptual framework. Based on these findings, practical intervention suggestions were discussed.