The dangers of the web: Cybervictimization, depression, and social support in college students Jaclyn E. Tennant ⇑ , Michelle K. Demaray, Samantha Coyle, Christine K. Malecki Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, United States article info Article history: Keywords: Bullying Cybervictimization Depression Social support abstract Data on students’ perceptions of social support, traditional and cyber victimization behavior, and social- emotional well-being were collected from a sample of 267 university students in the Midwestern United States. One purpose of the current study was to examine possible sex differences in perceptions of the prevalence of cybervictimization experiences. The current study also examined whether cybervictimiza- tion accounted for additional variance in depression beyond traditional victimization and if social sup- port would buffer the associations among traditional and cyber victimization and depression. Young men and women did not report significantly different rates of cybervictimization. Cybervictimization was significantly related to depression above and beyond that of traditional victimization. Social support was negatively related to depression. However, there was no moderating role of social support. The results of this study highlight the significant impact that traditional and cyber victimization may have on college students’ well-being. Social support was also an important factor in the relation to depression, however, it did not provide a buffer in the association between victimization and depression. Ó 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. 1. Introduction Although the majority of contemporary research on bullying in educational settings focuses on bullying in K-12 schools, emerging research suggests that a significant amount of bullying occurs among college students as well (Cowie et al., 2013). Evidence sug- gests that bully and victim roles established during childhood and adolescence remain stable throughout adulthood. Despite this finding, research examining bullying/victimization behaviors in young adulthood is scarce. The purpose of the current study was to expand the growing literature on cybervictimization in child- hood and adolescence to include examination of the experience of cybervictimization during young adulthood. The goal of the cur- rent study was to examine the associations among traditional vic- timization, cybervictimization, social support, and depression in a sample of college-age students. 1.1. Cyberbullying versus traditional bullying Peer victimization and bullying have long been recognized as serious problems for children and adolescents. Traditional bully- ing, reflecting the repeated and intentional infliction of physical, relational, or psychological harm from a more powerful peer, has been explored for a number of years (Merrell, Gueldner, Ross, & Isava, 2008; Nansel et al., 2001; Olweus, 1991; Olweus, 2010). In recent decades, with an increase in the use of technology in daily life, the behaviors representing traditional bullying have mani- fested in new ways. Cyberbullying is defined by intentional acts of aggression directed toward a less powerful peer through elec- tronic means such as email or text messaging (Kowalski, Morgan, & Limber, 2012; Smith et al., 2008). Both traditional bullying and cyberbullying are related to numerous negative outcomes such as depression, anxiety, aggression, and academic issues across developmental periods (Craig, 1998; Fredstrom, Adams, & Gilman, 2011; Kowalski & Limber, 2012; Reijntjes, Kamphuis, Prinzie, & Telch, 2010; Vaillancourt et al., 2011). However, researchers have proposed that cyberbullying may be more harm- ful for victims than traditional bullying and that the concurrent experience of both types of bullying may predict even worse out- comes (Fredstrom et al., 2011; Smith et al., 2008; Wang, Iannotti, Luk, & Nansel, 2010; Wigderson & Lynch, 2013). By its nature, cyberbullying allows for a level of anonymity that most forms of traditional bullying do not (Bartlett & Gentile, 2012). The higher potential for anonymity when engaging in cyber- bullying may make perpetrators more likely to engage in it more frequently, (Bartlett, 2013; Bartlett, Gentile, & Chew, 2014) or to choose this form of bullying over traditional bullying. Traditional bullying comes with a higher risk of being identified and may seem http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.04.014 0747-5632/Ó 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. ⇑ Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 60115, United States. E-mail address: Jaclyn.tennant@gmail.com (J.E. Tennant). Computers in Human Behavior 50 (2015) 348–357 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers in Human Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/comphumbeh