How does perceived parental rejection influence cyberbullying by children? A serial mediation model of children’s depression and smartphone addiction

This study aimed to explore the relationships between perceived parental rejection and cyberbullying by children and the independent and sequential mediating roles of children’s depression and smartphone addiction. The study used data from the 2019 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey, which included 2,364 children. The relationships between the variables considered in this study were tested using hierarchical regression analysis and Hayes’s PROCESS macro (Model 6). We found that perceived parental rejection was positively linked with cyberbullying perpetration, and that the relationship between these variables was independently and sequentially mediated by children’s depression and smartphone addiction. These results suggest that when assessing cyberbullying by children, parenting behaviors, children’s psychological state, and media use should be considered simultaneously.