Cyber victimization and adolescent self-esteem: The role of communication with parents Yalçın Özdemir Faculty of Education, Department of Counseling and Guidance, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey Internet use has increased rapidly in recent years, and has inevitably led to some negative outcomes, notably cyber bullying and cyber victimization. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cyber victimi- zation and parent–adolescent communication on self-esteem, and the moderating role of parent–adolescent communication in the relationship between cyber victimization and self-esteem among Turkish adolescents. The participants were 337 adolescents with a mean age of 16.37, (SD = 0.89). The results of hierarchical regression analysis reveal that self-esteem was predicted negatively by cyber victimization, but positively by mother– adolescent communication. Results also indicate the moderating roles of parent–adolescent communication in the links between cyber victimization and self-esteem. The findings indicate a need to consider the parent– adolescent relationship while working with victimized youth, and the implications for research and practice are discussed. Key words: cyber victimization, parent–adolescent communication, self-esteem. Introduction Internet use has grown rapidly in recent years. The continu- ous development of electronic communication technologies facilitates effective, low-cost communication; however, it has also brought a number of negative consequences, notably cyber bullying and cyber victimization. This new type of media can be used by adolescents to abuse, threaten and bully their peers, and it has been observed that risky online behaviours are common among adolescents (Ybarra, Mitchell, Finkelhor & Wolak, 2007), and as many as one third of adolescents become victims of cyber bullying during online activities (Lenhart, 2007). Thus, a large number of adolescents have become victims of cyber bullies (Arıcak, 2009; Dilmaç, 2009; Kiriakidis & Kavoura, 2010; Kowalski & Limber, 2007; Tokunaga, 2010; Vandebosch & Van Cleemput, 2009; World Health Organization, 2012). This inappropriate use of media inevi- tably creates negative effects on the psychological, emo- tional or social state of youth (Gradinger, Strohmeier, Schiller, Stefanek & Spiel, 2012; Juvonen & Gross, 2008; McLoughlin, Meyricke & Burgess, 2009; Mitchell, Ybarra & Finkelhor, 2007; Patchin & Hinduja, 2006; Perren, Dooley, Shaw & Cross, 2010). Because of the salience of this problem, it is important to understand factors that could reduce or mitigate the effects of peer-victimization. In order to limit further potential damage, it is necessary to gain a better understanding of both the effects of cyber bullying on the mental health of victims and the factors that mitigate these effects. Traditional bullying has been defined as aggressive acts carried out against an undefended person in order to cause intentional and repeated harm (Olweus, 1993). According to Olweus (2012), cyber bullying or cyber victimization is similar to, and often associated with, traditional bullying; those who suffer one type are also likely to be victims of the other. Cyber bullying has been defined as ‘an aggressive, intentional act carried out by a group or individual, using electronic forms of contact, repeatedly and over time against a victim who cannot easily defend him or herself’ (Smith et al., 2008, p. 376). Other definitions emphasize the persistent sending of electronic messages with the intention to harm others (Kowalski, Limber & Agatston, 2008). Con- sistent with this, cyber victimization has been considered as consisting of the following aspects: receiving threatening messages and forwarded emails or text messages without permission, the posting of pictures which are intended to cause embarrassment and the spread of unfounded claims in cyberspace about individuals (Lenhart, 2007). Cyber bullying is a worldwide problem, and affects both the cyber bully and the victim. Existing empirical studies have examined the prevalence of cyber bullying and vic- timization among students in elementary, middle, high school levels and colleges (Arslan, Savas ¸er, Hallett & Balcı, 2012; Campbell, 2005; Juvonen & Gross, 2008; Kowalski & Limber, 2007). In an examination of cyber bullying behaviours and cyber victimization among Turkish Correspondence: Yalçın Özdemir, Faculty of Education, Depart- ment of Counseling and Guidance, Adnan Menderes University, Merkez Kampüs Aytepe, 09010 Aydın, Turkey. Email: yalcin.ozdemir@adu.edu.tr Received 22 April 2013; revision 18 November 2013; accepted 18 November 2013. Asian Journal of Social Psychology © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd with the Asian Association of Social Psychology and the Japanese Group Dynamics Association Asian Journal of Social Psychology (2014), 17, 255–263 DOI: 10.1111/ajsp.12070