The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and the Different Roles in Cyberbullying Among High School Students in Tehran

Background: Cyberbullying is any kind of intentional harassment with the intent to harm others that is carried out via smartphones, the internet, and digital technologies. Emotional intelligence (EQ) and the ability to understand emotions play major roles in the emotional and social development of children. There may be a relationship between the roles of victim, bully, and bystanders in cyberbullying and EQ. Objectives: This study aims to examine the prevalence of cyberbullying through new communication technology among high school students and the relation of EQ to the different roles assumed by the individuals involved in a cyberbullying event. Methods: In this study, 505 junior high school students who were in the 11th grade in Tehran (the capital city of Iran) in 2013 - 2014 were randomly selected. Their personal demographic data was collected using a demographic questionnaire. Their EQ was evaluated by a Bar-On questionnaire. To assess cyberbullying and the different roles of the participants, a self-designed questionnaire was used. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS statistical software, version 18 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). A P value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. To compare between groups, the chi-squared test (or Fisher’s exact test), the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric ANOVA, and the Mann-Whitney U test were used. Results: The total number of participants was 505. This included 293 boys (58%) and 212 girls (42%). In general, 34.2% of the participants were reported to be victims, 46% were bystanders, 27.3% were bullies, and 34% did not experience cyberbullying at all. The study showed that 26.6% of males were victims vis-a-vis 44.8% of females (P < 0.05), while 31.8% of males were bullies vis-a-vis 22.2% of females (P < 0.05). There was no significant relationship between the total EQ score of the individuals and the different roles they assumed in cyberbullying. But in a gender-stratified analysis, male victims had a higher EQ score. Conclusions: This study showed that the rate of cyberbullying was high among high school students in Tehran. In contrast to traditional bullying, the EQ score is not associated with playing different roles in cyberbullying. However, when considering gender, the male victims had higher EQ scores.