Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies

Abstract
Background & Objectives: Some adolescents and young adults may engage in behaviors such as threatening, insulting, or harassing others in online environments, often due to a sense of anonymity and lack of social controls. Unfortunately, one of the adverse consequences of the growth of cyberspace is the emergence of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is a behavioral problem among adolescents in the information technology era that can be influenced by family and personality factors. Given the increasing prevalence of cyberbullying among adolescents and its psychological and social consequences, identifying its underlying risk and protective factors has become critically important. Family functioning, as one of the primary contexts for adolescents' social and emotional development, can play a key role in either reducing or exacerbating aggressive behaviors in virtual spaces. On the other hand, emotional creativity, conceptualized as both an interpersonal and an intrapersonal capability, may help adolescents manage their emotions and reactions to online conflicts. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the mediating role of emotional creativity in the relationship between dimensions of family functioning and cyberbullying.
Methods: This research was analytical, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in data analysis. The statistical population comprised all male and female high school students attending public schools in District One of Tehran during the 2023–2024 academic year. The sample size was determined to be 300 participants based on Kline's (2016) method. In the present study, a multi–stage cluster sampling method was used. In the first stage, four districts (two, three, five, and six) were randomly selected from the ten districts in Region One. In the second stage, one public high school was randomly selected from each district, and a total of 4 schools (2 girls' schools and 2 boys' schools) were included in the study. In the third stage, three grades (10^th, 11^th, and 12^th) were considered from each school, and one class was randomly selected from each grade. Finally, all students in these classes were included in the study's statistical sample. The final sample consisted of 102 tenth–grade students, 105 eleventh–grade students, and 93 twelfth–grade students, totaling 300 participants.
After determining the statistical sample, the researchers visited the selected schools, obtained the necessary permits, and distributed the questionnaires to the selected students. During the distribution, participants received explanations about the research's purpose and how to complete the questionnaires, and the confidentiality of the information was emphasized. The students were asked to complete the questionnaires carefully and honestly. The instruments employed in this study included the Family Assessment Device (Epstein et al., 1983), Cyber Aggression Questionnaire for Adolescents (Alvarez–Garcia et al., 2016), and the Emotional Creativity Questionnaire (Averill & Thomas–Knowles, 1991). In the present study, due to the difficulty of satisfying the multivariate normality assumption, structural equation modeling using the partial least squares approach (SmartPLS, version 4) was employed to examine the relationships among the research variables.
Results: Descriptive statistics revealed a mean total score of 3.01 for family functioning (60 items) and a standard deviation of 0.22. The mean total score of cyberbullying (19 items) was about 3.01, with a standard deviation of 0.71. The mean total score of emotional creativity (30 items) was approximately 3.07, with a standard deviation of 0.67. Among the dimensions of emotional creativity, the preparedness dimension (7 items) obtained the highest mean score (Mean=3.06, SD=0.69). Furthermore, data analyses indicated that increased affective involvement, with a direct effect, was associated with a decrease in cyberbullying (p=0.024, β=–0.595). Similarly, improved problem–solving, through enhanced emotional creativity, was associated with reduced cyberbullying (p=0.016, β=–0.274). In contrast, the dimensions of roles, affective responsiveness, communication, and behavior control did not show significant effects on either emotional creativity or cyberbullying (p>0.05). Additionally, emotional creativity demonstrated a significant direct effect on cyberbullying (p=0.001, β =–0.410).
Conclusion: According to the results of the research, emotional creativity plays an important mediating role in the relationship between family functioning and students' cyberbullying. Therefore, teaching emotional creativity skills to families and students can be effective in preventing cyberbullying.