Abstract:

Violence is an important and growing public health problem, which has serious individual and social consequences particularly for children and young people (Neto, 2005). In recent years violence has been gaining prominence news, bringing up the concerns of parents and educators. In fact, a serious problem that is present in today's society is violence in schools (Jobes and Costa, 2013). This phenomenon can be understood as something more extensive that refers us to diverse domains, such as antisocial behaviour, delinquency and vandalism, among others (Batsche and Knoff, 1994; Vale and Costa, 1998). Information and communication technologies have broadened the phenomenon of bullying to cyberbullying.

The consequences of cyberbullying are as profound and devastating as those of bullying, if not more, because they evidence a larger audience and, consequently, a humiliation on a substantially higher scale than the school environment. In this sense, the consequences can translate into risk of suicide and self-mutilation (Totura et al., 2009). According to Childnet International (2007) and the Multidisciplinary Center for Studies and Guidance on School Bullying (CEMEOBES, 2009), socialization losses and low self-esteem are the most common victims of cyberbullying, which tend to isolate themselves as a way to protect themselves. The physical and emotional health of the victim also manifests itself in many aspects such as anxiety, sadness, stress, fear, apathy, anguish, repressed rage, headaches, sleep disorders, loss of appetite, isolation. Many of these consequences continue throughout the life of the victim, even after the attacks have been completed.

This paper presents a study that assess the perceptions that young people have of bullying and cyberbullying in order to understand the new dimensions of these situations, their correlations and direct links with social support. The case study was developed with a sample of 145 students of the 3rd cycle of a Portuguese school, with an average age of 13.52 years. The results show a prevalence of Observation Behaviour in the Victimization Scale and School Aggression and the dimension Satisfaction with Friendships in Satisfaction Scale Social Support, translating an impoverishment of Intimacy and Satisfaction with the Family dimensions. It was found that 37% of the sample has experienced cyberbullying and 59% have had knowledge of cyber bullying situations, which correlates positively with the Observation and Victimization behaviours and of Victimization Scale and School Aggression.

The results of the study allow us to conclude that cyberbullying is constituted as a bullying extension in relation to aggression, threat and provocation planned discomfort and is a repeated behaviour made through social networks. In the study we found that if the adolescent has a cohesive social support, the probability of getting involved in behaviours of this type is much lower. On the other hand, if social support or support is reduced, then the individual is more likely to pursue deviant paths because he feels less protected and less oriented throughout this phase of life, in itself so demanding for the young.

Keywords:

Bullying, Cyberbullying, Social support, Victimization, Aggression.