Abstract:

The present study aimed to investigate the intensity of the use of Facebook and the involvement in cyberbullying incidents during the period of Covid-19 among students with learning difficulties. At the same time, the role of students’ sense of loneliness in the manifestation of the above behaviors was examined. The study involved 211 primary school students (119 boys, 92 girls) of the sixth grade from schools located in economically diverse districts of Thessaloniki (Greece), who had been diagnosed with learning difficulties. They completed a self-report questionnaire, which included a scale on perceived intense of Facebook use (The Facebook Intensity Scale; Ellison, Steinfield, & Lampe, 2007), a scale on cyberbullying (short form of Cyberbullying Questionnaire; Smith, Mahdavi, Carvalho, & Tippett, 2006), as well as a scale on the sense of loneliness (Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, RULS‐6, Wongpakaran, Wongpakaran, Pinyopornpanish, Simcharoen, Suradom, Varnado, & Kuntawong, 2020). According to the students’ self-reports, it was found that during the period of Covid-19 they are characterized by high intensity of Facebook use and they are involved in cyberbullying incidents (as bullies and victims). Boys seemed to get involved in these behaviors to a higher extent, compared to girls. Also, students, regardless of their sex, expressed a high sense of loneliness. Furthermore, it was found that students’ sense of loneliness predicted, in a direct and positive way, their perceived intensity of the use of Facebook. On the contrary, the results of a path analysis model revealed that students’ cyberbullying involvement was predicted by their sense of loneliness but only indirectly and positively, through their perceived intensity of the use of Facebook. Taking into consideration the lockdown during the period of Covid-19 as well as the fact that students with learning difficulties often use social media as a compensation for their deficient socio-interpersonal skills, the findings emphasize the need for implementing preventive actions, on behalf of parents and schools, regarding the children’s unsafe use of social networking sites and, consequently their cyber-victimization. At the same time, these actions should focus on strengthening the sense of belonging for children with learning difficulties during the pandemic.

Keywords:

Primary school students, learning difficulties, intensity of Facebook use, cyberbullying, loneliness.