The mediating role of prosocial behavior in the relationship between emotional self-efficacy, empathy, and cyberbullying among university students

Introduction: In the context of cyber-aggression, understood as intentional actions aimed at hurting, humiliating, or denigrating individuals or groups through electronic tools such as social networks, chats, or messaging platforms, cyberbullying represents one of the most widespread forms. Recent research indicates that a significant proportion of young adults have experienced episodes of online aggression, a percentage higher than in other age groups, but less studied in the literature compared to children and adolescents. Emotional self-efficacy, empathy, and prosocial behaviors can significantly influence the perpetration of cyberbullying, acting as protective factors. However, the pattern of relationships among these variables remains little explored to date. Methods: The study investigated the possible mediating role of prosocial behaviors in the relationship between self-efficacy in emotional regulation, empathy, and the enactment of cyberbullying behaviors. The research was conducted on a sample of 515 university students aged between 18 and 29 years (M = 21.5; SD = 2.05) through an online survey. Results: The mediation analysis showed that self-efficacy in emotional regulation and empathy act as protective factors against cyberbullying, with prosocial behaviors mediating this relationship. Specifically, greater self-efficacy in managing positive emotions (β = 0.13, p < .001), higher levels of cognitive empathy (β = 0.38, p < .001), and affective empathy (β = 0.14, p < .001) are associated with an increase in prosocial behaviors, which in turn correlate with a lower tendency to perpetrate cyberbullying (β = −0.15, p = 0.003). No significant mediating effect of prosocial behaviors was found in the relationship between self-efficacy in regulating negative emotions and cyberbullying (β = 0.03, p = n.s.). Implications: The results highlight the crucial role of socio-emotional skills in preventing cyberbullying among young adults. The development of emotional self-efficacy, empathy, and prosocial behaviors can serve as a key resource to reduce aggressive online dynamics and promote safer and more respectful digital environments, providing useful insights for the design of targeted and effective prevention interventions.