The development and psychometric investigation of the Cyberbullying Scale

RW Stewart, CF Drescher, DJ Maack…�- Journal of�…, 2014 - journals.sagepub.com
RW Stewart, CF Drescher, DJ Maack, C Ebesutani, J Young
Journal of interpersonal violence, 2014journals.sagepub.com
Accurate assessment of cyberbullying is essential for intervention planning and evaluation.
Limitations to many currently available self-report measures of cyberbullying victimization
include a lack of psychometric information and a limited scope (ie, not assessing multiple
electronic mediums of cybervictimization). To address these limitations, we developed and
investigated the psychometric properties of a broad self-report measure of cyberbullying, the
Cyberbullying Scale (CBS). We examined the factor structure and reliability of the CBS�…
Accurate assessment of cyberbullying is essential for intervention planning and evaluation. Limitations to many currently available self-report measures of cyberbullying victimization include a lack of psychometric information and a limited scope (i.e., not assessing multiple electronic mediums of cybervictimization). To address these limitations, we developed and investigated the psychometric properties of a broad self-report measure of cyberbullying, the Cyberbullying Scale (CBS). We examined the factor structure and reliability of the CBS across 736 students in Grades 6 to 12 in six Northern Mississippi schools. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) results indicated that the structure of the CBS was best represented by a one-factor model. The finding of a single-factor structure suggests that cyberbullying is a unidimensional construct, which is consistent with previous research. In the current sample, the CBS demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .94) and significant positive correlations with related constructs of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Results from the present study provide initial support for the CBS as a measure of cybervictimization among adolescents.
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