Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1496965

Why Individuals with trait anger and revenge motivation Are More Likely to Engage in Cyberbullying perpetration? The Online Disinhibition Effect

Provisionally accepted
Yan Lin Yan Lin 1Jin-liang Ding Jin-liang Ding 2*Ihua Chen Ihua Chen 3*
  • 1 Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China
  • 2 Wuyi University, Wuyishan, Fujian Province, China
  • 3 Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Trait anger has been identified as a significant risk factor in cyberbullying perpetration; however, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain underexplored. This study aims to elucidate the connection between trait anger and cyberbullying perpetration among adolescents, with a focus on the mediating role of revenge motivation and the moderating effect of online disinhibition. A sample of 1,574 Chinese adolescents (46.1% female, mean age 16.89 years, SD = 0.34) participated in the study. Participants completed measures assessing trait anger, revenge motivation, online disinhibition, and cyberbullying perpetration. Results indicated that revenge motivation partially mediated the association between trait anger and cyberbullying perpetration. Furthermore, the relationship between revenge motivation and cyberbullying perpetration, as well as the relationship between trait anger and cyberbullying perpetration, were moderated by online disinhibition, with a significant association observed only among adolescents exhibiting higher levels of toxic disinhibition. These findings extend the current understanding of cyberbullying perpetration among adolescents and offer valuable insights for intervention strategies targeting this antisocial online behavior.

    Keywords: trait anger, Cyberbullying perpetration, Revenge motivation, toxic online disinhibition, benign online disinhibition, adolescents

    Received: 16 Sep 2024; Accepted: 14 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Lin, Ding and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Jin-liang Ding, Wuyi University, Wuyishan, 354300, Fujian Province, China
    Ihua Chen, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, Shandong Province, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.