The Relationship Between Attachment Styles and Childhood Trauma and Cyberbullying Among Adolescents

Fatemeh  Babazadeh Asl; Jamal Sadeghi; Alireza  Homayouni

Authors

Fatemeh Babazadeh Asl Department of Psychology, BG.C., Islamic Azad University, Bandar Gaz, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4416-5618
Jamal Sadeghi Department of Psychology, Bab,C., Islamic Azad University, Babol, Iran Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8214-0047
Alireza Homayouni Department of Psychology, BG.C., Islamic Azad University, Bandar Gaz, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6134-2955

Keywords:

Attachment Styles; Childhood Trauma; Cyberbullying; Cybervictimization; Adolescents; Secondary-School Students

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship of attachment styles and childhood trauma with cyberbullying among adolescent male secondary-school students in Babol, Iran.

Methods and Materials: This applied study employed a descriptive-correlational design. The statistical population consisted of 4,500 male students enrolled in the second cycle of secondary education in Babol during the 2025–2026 academic year. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan table, 354 students were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected electronically using the Collins and Read Attachment Scale, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire developed by Bernstein et al., and the Cyberbullying Questionnaire developed by Antoniadou et al. The questionnaires were administered through the SHAD educational platform. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis in SPSS version 20, with the significance level set at p < .05.

Findings: Secure attachment was negatively correlated with total cyberbullying (r = −.228, p < .01), whereas avoidant attachment (r = .265, p < .01), anxious-ambivalent attachment (r = .483, p < .01), and total childhood trauma (r = .438, p < .01) were positively correlated with cyberbullying. Emotional abuse showed the strongest association among the childhood trauma dimensions with total cyberbullying (r = .536, p < .01). Regression analysis showed that secure attachment significantly and negatively predicted cyberbullying (β = −.090, t = −2.295, p = .020), whereas avoidant attachment (β = .093, t = 2.344, p = .020), anxious-ambivalent attachment (β = .276, t = 6.716, p < .001), and childhood trauma (β = .191, t = 4.577, p < .001) significantly and positively predicted cyberbullying. Among the predictors, anxious-ambivalent attachment had the largest absolute standardized regression coefficient.

Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of relational security and adverse childhood experiences in understanding adolescent cyberbullying and support the development of attachment-informed and trauma-sensitive preventive interventions.

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