Mindfulness and Cyberbullying Among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Social Support and Empathy

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that mindfulness is associated with fewer cyber-bullying behaviors in adolescents. The present study investigated the ways in which mindfulness is related to cyberbullying in Chinese adolescents by considering the role of empathy and perceived social support. Methods: A total of 1,390 Chinese high school students were recruited for this study. Adolescents' self-reports of mindfulness, cyberbullying, empathy, and perceived social support were used in the analyses. Results: The results showed our model fitted the data well [chi(2)/df = 2.413, CFI = 0.968, TLI = 0.958, RMSEA (90% CI) = 0.059 (0.040-0.078)], and revealed empathy and perceived social support partially mediate the relationship between mindfulness and cyberbullying. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate adolescents' mindfulness plays a crucial role on the likelihood of cyberbullying as well as empathy and perceived social support. Improving the mindfulness skills of adolescents should be considered by teachers and parents seeking to decrease cyberbullying.