Positive orientation effect on aversive peer experiences such as cyber aggression and cyber victimisation

Internet has become a vital part of our modern-day society and in recent years, most youths are drawn to social media platforms (like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook). However, cyberbullying has gone rampant in tandem, affecting and scarring both the victim and perpetrator, leading to serious psychological issues such as depression, social anxiety, lower self-esteem and in some extreme cases, suicide. The current research aims to find out the positive orientation effect on aversive peer experiences such as cyber aggression and cyber victimisation among adolescents. This research hypothesized that 1) there is a significant relationship between positive orientation, peer experience relationship, cyber aggression and cyber victimisation, 2) there is a significant impact of positive orientation on cyber aggression and victimisation, 3) there is a significant difference between male and female adolescents in cyber aggression and victimisation. A sample of 338 university students in Malaysia, aged 19 to 25 years, was selected using the convenient sampling technique. The instruments use for data collection included cyber-peer experience questionnaire, Rosenberg self-esteem scale, satisfaction with life scale and positivity scale. The collected data were analysed using Pearson Correlation Coefficient (r) and T-test. The multiple regression analysis was also used to relate the predictors of life satisfaction, self-esteem, and optimism to the occurrence of cyber aggression and victimisation among adolescents. The findings reveal that there is a negative correlation between self-esteem and cyber aggression as well as optimism with cyber aggression and cyber victimisation. Findings from the multiple regression analysis indicate that both self-esteem and optimism were significant predictors on cyber aggression and cyber victimisation. Further, the T-test results reveal that there is a significant difference between male and female adolescents on cyber aggression, and no significant difference in terms of cyber victimisation.