Longitudinal association of depression with cyberbullying perpetration among Chinese adolescents

Although studies have suggested there is a significant association between depression and cyberbullying perpetration, little is known about the longitudinal relationship between these variables. Therefore, I employed a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model to estimate the longitudinal association of depression with cyberbullying perpetration, assessing the variables at four time points, each separated by 1 year. The final sample comprised 460 middle school students from Grades 6–9 in China. The results indicated that the association between depression and cyberbullying perpetration was bidirectional. Implications of the findings are discussed.