Risk factors associated with witnessing cyberbullying in primary education

Cyberbullying is a harmful and intentional act of an aggressor/s to a victim, through technology, which causes an imbalance of power. The role of bystanders is key for early intervention in the phenomenon. The objective of the study is to detect risk factors associated with cyberbystanders in Primary Education based on individual variables related to the use of technologies (number of technologies, type of technology, frequency, purpose of use, time slot, and place of connection) and experiences as victims or aggressors of cyberbullying. A sample of 1169 families whose children were in 5th or 6th grade of Primary Education was selected and surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire that measures all the indicated variables (α = .84). The study of the risk factors was carried out using binary logistic regression (bivariate models and multivariate model) with the software R version 4.1.0. Bivariate analyses identified: a) using a mobile phone with the Internet, b) Internet connection to talk with friends, c) cybervictimization, and d) cyberperpetration as possible individual risk factors (p < .05). The multivariate model showed joint predictors of the risk of being cyberbystanders in Primary Education: cyberperpetration, cybervictimization, number of technologies used and using the Internet to talk with friends. The interrelation between the roles of cyberbullying and the risk derived from the very frequent use of various technological devices is evidenced. Implications for educational practice are studied.