Understanding the Mediating Role of Moral Disengagement in the Association between Violent Video Game Playing and Bullying/Cyberbullying Perpetration

The present study examined the direct and indirect effects (via moral disengagement) of violent video game playing on bullying/cyberbullying perpetration in early adolescents. The study included 479 middle school students aged 11-14 years (M = 13.06, SD = .76). Of the participants, 216 (45.1%) were girls and 263 (54.9%) were boys. The measures included violent video game playing, moral disengagement, bullying, and cyberbullying perpetration scales. The significance of indirect effects was estimated using 5000 bootstrap samples and 95% bias-corrected confidence intervals. The findings showed that violent video game playing was directly and positively associated with early adolescents' bullying perpetration. Also, violent video game playing was indirectly associated with early adolescents' bullying and cyberbullying perpetration through moral disengagement. Finally, moral disengagement both predicted bullying and cyberbullying perpetration. Findings provided evidence for the role of violent video game playing and moral disengagement for early adolescents' bullying and cyberbullying perpetration. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed and future directions are provided.