Dark Triad Personality Traits and Cyberbullying: The Mediating Role of Emotional Empathy

Abstract

Nowadays, with the widespread use of the Internet, cyberbullying has become a pervasive threat to people. This study aimed to create a structural model of cyberbullying based on dark personality traits, with empathy as a mediating factor among students. A total of 360 students of the Mohaghegh Ardabili University were included using the multistage random sampling method. Data were collected using the Cyber-Bullying/Victimization Experiences Questionnaire, Dark Triad Personality Scale, and Questionnaire Measure of Emotional Empathy. Collected data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation test and structural equation modeling in SPSS and AMOS 24. The direct route of Machiavellianism and psychopathy was positively significant for cyberbullying and negatively significant for empathy. Empathy also has a direct negative effect on cyberbullying. Furthermore, there was an indirect effect of Machiavellianism and psychopathy on cyberbullying through empathy. Dark personality traits including Machiavellianism and psychopathy are significant risk factors for cyberbullying, with these traits indirectly contributing to cyberbullying through empathy deficits.

Keywords: Machiavellianism; cyberbullying; dark personality traits; empathy; narcissism; psychopathy.