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. 2025 Jul 10:16:1567523.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1567523. eCollection 2025.

Bullying and cyberbullying. A high risk, in boys and girls, of superficial learning, poor planning and academic procrastination

Alba Rusillo-Magdaleno  1 , Manuel J de la Torre-Cruz  2 , Teresa Martínez-Redecillas  3 , Alberto Ruiz-Ariza  1
Affiliations

Bullying and cyberbullying. A high risk, in boys and girls, of superficial learning, poor planning and academic procrastination

Alba Rusillo-Magdaleno et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to analyse the association of bullying and cyberbullying with deep learning, superficial learning, planning and decision making, as well as school procrastination. A total of 1,263 Spanish schoolchildren (51.39% girls) aged 10-16 years (13.23 ± 1.77) participated. The association between variables and the analysis of exposure risk was performed by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and binary logistic regression, respectively. All analyses were conducted separately for boys and girls and adjusted for age, body mass index, mother's education and average weekly physical activity. Results showed that girls who were victims of bullying and cyberbullying had significantly higher procrastination toward class tasks (7 and 16%, respectively). In addition, cyberbullying victims acquire more superficial learning (5.28%). In general, victims of bullying have almost twice the risk of having higher values of superficial learning and procrastination than non-victims. This risk is multiplied by 3 and 4, respectively, in the case of cyberbullying victims. On the other hand, bullying aggressors were also found to have high superficial learning (7.34%) and higher procrastination (17.45%). In the case of cyberbullying, aggressors also had more superficial learning (boys = 13.38% and girls = 9.56%), worse values in planning and decision making (boys = 3.82% and girls = 3.3%) and more procrastination (boys = 16.81% and girls = 20.48%). In both sexes, the risk of exposure to aggression toward the above variables is multiplied by 8, 2, and 10, respectively. All these findings reveal that bullying and cyberbullying can affect young people in key learning variables, beyond those of physical, psychological or socio-emotional aspects already known. Immediate and systematic actions are needed to monitor and prevent bullying and cyberbullying inside and outside the school context, creating safe spaces and providing counseling for both victims and aggressors.

Keywords: aggression; bullying; cyberbullying; decision-making; learning; schoolchildren; teaching; victimization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Association of bullying victimization with deep and superficial learning, planning and school procrastination.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Association of cyberbullying victimization with deep and superficial learning, planning and school procrastination.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Association of bullying agression with deep and superficial learning, planning and school procrastination.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Association of cyberbullying agression with deep and superficial learning, planning and school procrastination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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