Cyberbullying Against Teachers in Latin America During the Pandemic: Negative Effects and Well-Being

VARELA, J.; GUZMÁN, P.; MARSOLLIER, R. ; EXPÓSITO, C. ; MIRANDA, R. ; LÓPEZ, C.

Simposio; Biennial Presentation School Violence; 2023

The study aimed to explore the prevalence and negative effect of cyberbullying behavior against teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Latin America. During 2020 and 2021, due to the global health crisis, school teachers had to transform teaching and move from face-to-face classes to 100% online platforms. This context generated negative behaviors against teachers using online platforms labeled cyberbullying, which can be considered a traditional form of aggression, incorporating a digital form and the use of technologies, the notion of harm, hostility, as a group or an individual, deliberation and willingness of action and repetition over time. Previous studies in Latin America have focused on school violence against teachers in a face-to-face format, but less is known about cyberbullying against teachers. We used a sample of 1,387 teachers between 21 and 71 years old (M = 42.2, SD = 10.1; mostly female, 79.1%) from schools in Chile, Perú, Argentina, and Ecuador. We used a scale that assesses the levels of cyberbullying experienced by teachers, the Questionnaire for the Evaluation of Burnout Syndrome (CESQT, GilMonte, 2011) to measure professional burnout and the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI, Hervás & Vázquez, 2013) to measure well-being. Using structural equation modeling, we examined the direct effect of cyberbullying on well-being using professional burnout (Illusion about work and Physic burnout) as mediators for this relationship. Our results show higher levels of professional burnout and lower levels of well-being among teachers. In addition, victims of cyberbullying self-report more negative well-being and higher psychic burnout. Our study highlights the need to provide emotional support for Latin American teachers, especially for victims of cyberbullying during the pandemic. In addition, this evidence underscores the importance of teaching skills to support and respect others within this online environment and when returning to regular face-to-face classes.