Associations between type D personality, moral disengagement, and cyber aggression among university students

Abstract

The Internet has become an indispensable part of life, with people now spending a substantial portion of their time in cyberspace. While cyberspace has some benefits, owing to its anonymity and indirect nature, its accessibility has also resulted in cases of cyber aggression. This cross-sectional study identified the predictors of cyber aggression among university students. Data were collected from 400 university students using an online questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of university students' cyber aggression, including Type D personality and moral disengagement. The regression model identified that, in an anonymous context, cyber aggression was more prevalent among students who were male and who displayed Type D personality traits, lower moral justification, higher advantageous comparison, higher distortion of consequences, and higher attribution of blame. Further, cyber aggression in a non-anonymous context was more prevalent among male students; namely, students with a lower social inhibition aspect of Type D personality; and students with higher advantageous comparison, distortion of consequences, and attribution of blame. There were significant differences in cyber aggression in an anonymous context according to gender and Type D personality. Furthermore, Type D personality and moral disengagement were associated with the degree of cyber aggression. Therefore, to promote healthy Internet use and prevent cyber aggression, gender-specific and personality-specific interventions should be developed, and strategies that prevent moral disengagement in university students should be implemented.