An Examination of University Students’ Cyberbullying Experiences in terms of Gender Perception and Emotion Regulation Skills

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, Early View

Published Online: 29 July 2026, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.24

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

An Examination of University Students’ Cyberbullying Experiences in terms of Gender Perception and Emotion Regulation Skills

Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Siber Zorbalık Deneyimlerinin Toplumsal Cinsiyet Algısı ve Duygu Düzenleme Becerileri Bakımından İncelenmesi

Şule Aydın Yeral¹ , Fatma Sena Öztürk Miroğlu²

Abstract:

This study aims to examine university students’ experiences of cyberbullying in relation to gender role perceptions and emotion regulation skills. The research was conducted with data obtained from 308 university students aged 18-29 who had social media accounts. Participants were recruited through the snowball sampling method. The data collection tools were the Personal Information Form, the Cyber Victimization and Bullying Scale, the Gender Perception Scale, and the Emotion Regulation Skills Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0, and nonparametric tests were used for data that did not meet the assumptions of normality. The findings revealed no significant relationship between cyber victimization and gender role perceptions, whereas a weak negative relationship was found between cyberbullying and gender role perceptions. Specifically, individuals with more traditional gender role perceptions displayed higher tendencies toward cyberbullying. Furthermore, a weak negative relationship was detected between cyberbullying and emotion regulation skills. Negative correlations were particularly observed between cyberbullying and sub-dimensions such as attention to emotions, bodily awareness of emotions, understanding emotions, resilience, and self-support. In contrast, no significant association was identified between cyber victimization and emotion regulation skills. The results also indicated that students not only experienced victimization but also actively engaged in bullying behaviors. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of incorporating gender equality awareness and the enhancement of emotion regulation skills into intervention programs aimed at preventing cyberbullying.

Keywords: Cyberbullying, Cyber victimization, Gender roles, Emotion regulation.

¹Istanbul Esenyurt University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Istanbul, Türkiye.

²University of Health Sciences, Hamidiye Vocational School of Health Services, Patient Care Program, Istanbul, Türkiye.

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Şule Aydın Yeral, Istanbul Esenyurt University, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Zafer Neighborhood, Adile Naşit Boulevard No. 1, Esenyurt, Istanbul, Türkiye, E-mail: [email protected].

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 04.10.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 22.04.2026, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 23.04.2026, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 03.08.2026

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Aydın Yeral, Ş. & Öztürk Miroğlu, F. S. (2026). An examination of university students’ cyberbullying experiences in terms of gender perception and emotion regulation skills. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.24

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/