Perceived social support and self-esteem predict cyberbullying among rural left-behind adolescents.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between perceived social support, self-esteem, and cyberbullying among rural left-behind adolescents. A cross-lagged analysis was conducted with a sample of 981 rural left-behind adolescents Jiangsu province and Sichuan province, who completed a questionnaire twice at 3-month intervals. The results indicated that: (1) Perceived social support at Time 1 positively and significantly predicted self-esteem at Time 2, while negatively and significantly predicting cyberbullying at Time 2; (2) Self-esteem at Time 1 did not significantly predict perceived social support and cyberbullying at Time 2; (3) Cyberbullying at Time 1 did not significantly and negatively predicted perceived social support at Time 2, and while negatively and significantly predicting self-esteem at Time 2; (4) Self-esteem plays a partial mediating role between perceived social support and cyberbullying. This study contributes to understanding the mechanisms underlying the association between perceived social support and cyberbullying behaviors among rural adolescents, and also holds practical significance for intervention and prevention activities.