Impact of motor self-efficacy on cyberbullying in adolescents and pre-adolescents in physical education

Abstract

Introduction In recent years, cyberbullying rates have increased, especially among adolescents in the school environment. According to the literature, the factors that influence this type of behavior are access to technologies, physical activity and BMI, among others. Aim The aim is to find correlations between motor self-efficacy and cyberbullying. Methods The ECIP-Q and E-AEM questionnaire was applied to 1,232 students from Spanish schools and institutes (8–18 years old) in a cross-sectional study. Results Significant inverse correlations were found between the ECIP-Q and the E-AEM on the variables of gender, educational stage, daily physical activity, BMI, telephone ownership and hours spent on the Internet. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be understood that the higher the level of self-efficacy, the lower the level of abuse and victimization. Therefore, physical activity could be considered to act as a regulator of cyberbullying. And it would be interesting for public administrations to increase the number of hours of physical education, to expand out-of-school physical activities and to promote an active lifestyle in order to eradicate this type of abusive school behavior.