Cybervictimization and Online Sexual Harassment: Prevalence, Association, and Predictors

Background: The daily and massive use of the Internet and social media by adolescents has led to increased interest and attention to prevalence rates, risk factors, and potential consequences of different forms of online victimization. This study aims to examine the possible associations between cybervictimization and online sexual harassment among 697 Italian adolescents (Mage = 15.17; SD = 0.68; 42.3% female), understanding the contribution of individual and school risk factors. Methods: A short longitudinal design was used to test a path model where emotional/behavioral problems and school climate predicted cybervictimization and online sexual harassment, controlling for their co-occurrence. Results: The results show similar prevalence among the two phenomena with a consistent reciprocal association (ρs = 0.426**). Regarding predictors, cybervictimization at Wave 5 is predicted by the problematic peer relationships with peers (β = 0.164*, SE = 0.068) and lack of school cohesion (β = −0.189*, SE = 0.086) assessed at Wave 4. In contrast, online sexual harassment at Wave 5 is predicted by the presence of emotional symptoms (β = 0.248***, SE = 0.077) and the absence of social norms (β = −0.254**, SE = 0.085) measured at Wave 4. Conclusion: Online sexual harassment and cybervictimization are related phenomena with a co-occurrence of around 22%; being a victim of cybervictimization is positively associated with being a victim of OSH-P. However, risk factors are different: cybervictimization is more easily explained by social and contextual factors, while online sexual harassment is explained by individual factors.