Description
ABSTRACT
Background: The transition from adolescence to adulthood represents a critical developmental stage for youth, marked by profound emotional and behavioural changes during which social environments decisively shape young people’s online conduct, including harmful behaviours such as cyberbullying.
Purpose: This study examines how parenting style, university climate, and peer-to-peer relationships shape Vietnamese university students’ intention to engage in cyberbullying within a rapidly digitalizing non-Western developing society. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study conceptualizes how environmental conditions and individual cognitive factors interact to form behavioural intention among young people.
Methodological approach: Data were collected from 437 Vietnamese university students aged 18–26. Reliability and validity of instruments, together with hypotheses, were tested through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and structural equation modelling.
Findings: Results show that parenting style, university climate, and peer-to-peer relationships are significantly and negatively associated with cyberbullying intention, with peer-to-peer relationships showing the strongest negative association. Consistent with the Theory of Planned Behaviour, cyberbullying intention is strongly and positively associated with self-reported cyberbullying behaviour.
Implications: The findings underscore the protective role of supportive social environments in shaping young people’s digital conduct and preventing cyberbullying. By foregrounding youth social support systems, the study contributes to youth-centred scholarship and offers practical implications for social policy and educational practice. Strengthening peer support networks, fostering inclusive university climates, and promoting constructive parenting practices may empower young people and reduce cyberbullying intention in developing digital societies.
Keywords: Cyberbullying, Parenting style, Peer relationships, University climate, Vietnam
