The impact of life domains on cyberbullying perpetration in Iran: A partial test of Agnew's general theory of crime

This study extends prior research by examining the direct and indirect effects of four of Agnew's life domains (i.e., self, family, school, and peer) through constraints against and motivations for cyberbullying as well as the interaction effects among these life domains using an Iranian sample. Using self-report data on cyberbullying from a sample of 785 high school students in Iran, a series of multivariate models were estimated to examine direct, indirect, and moderating effects discussed in Agnew's integrated theory. The results showed that the four life domains have direct and indirect effects on cyberbullying. Interaction effects among the life domains are also detected. Conclusions: This research finds strong support for Agnew's integrated theory with respect to cyberbullying. •We investigated the impact of life domains on cyberbullying.•Cyberbullying perpetration is more likely when the family and school domains do not function properly.•Low self-control and moral identity increase the likelihood of involvement in cyberbullying perpetration.•Deviant peer association decreases the constraints against cyberbullying as well as heightens the deviant motivations.•The self, family, school, and peer domains all interact with each other in cyberbullying perpetration