Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey

Abstract

The Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey (COAS) is a specialized psychometric instrument developed by Justin W. Patchin and Sameer Hinduja to systematically measure digital interpersonal violence. Specifically, it assesses the prevalence, nature, and emotional impact of engaging in or experiencing cyberbullying and online aggression among the youth population.

This comprehensive tool evaluates an adolescent’s involvement across three distinct roles: victim, perpetrator (offender), and bystander. Initial research, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and utilizing a nationally representative sample of adolescents (aged 12–17), established that these digital behaviors constitute significant public health concerns. Findings demonstrated severe psychological consequences associated with victimization, including elevated rates of anxiety, depression, fear, and, critically, suicidal ideation or attempts among affected youth.

Keywords

Cyberbullying, Online aggression, Adolescent mental health, Victimization, Perpetration, Internet safety, Digital behavior, Social psychology, Youth violence, Digital harassment, Cyber-victimization, Internet bullying, Peer relations, School psychology.

Authors

Justin W. Patchin, Sameer Hinduja

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Purpose

The primary objective of the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey is to provide a systematic, quantitative framework for understanding the scope and characteristics of aggressive behaviors transmitted via electronic and digital platforms within the youth demographic. The instrument is designed not only to measure exposure but also to critically differentiate between the experiences of victimization and perpetration, providing crucial data for prevention programs and policy development.

Data derived from the COAS are vital for informing targeted prevention programs, shaping educational curricula related to Internet safety, and assisting mental health professionals in intervention planning. The survey provides baseline metrics concerning exposure to specific online harms, such as malicious emails, chat room ridicule, and inappropriate social media posting, allowing for tailored intervention strategies based on emotional and behavioral responses observed in the youth involved.

Construct

The scale operationalizes and measures behaviors related to digital interpersonal violence, captured under the overarching construct of Cyberbullying and Online Aggression. The definition of cyberbullying employed within the instrument emphasizes the nature of the behavior: repeated instances of making fun of, picking on, or posting unwanted content about another individual through electronic means (e.g., email, text messaging, and social media platforms).

The instrument is structurally divided to capture two primary, measurable sub-constructs, confirmed through factor analysis and measured by distinct item sets:

• Cyberbullying Victimization: This subscale quantifies the frequency with which the respondent has been the target of online harassment or aggressive digital behaviors.
• Cyberbullying Offending (Perpetration): This subscale measures the frequency with which the respondent has actively engaged in aggressive or harmful digital behaviors directed toward others.

Validity

The validity of the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey is strongly supported by its adherence to established theoretical definitions of electronic harassment, demonstrating high Face Validity. The items were carefully constructed to reflect contemporary digital communication methods used by adolescents at the time of development, including specific references to chat rooms, instant messaging, and early social networking sites (e.g., MySpace, Xanga, Friendster).

Crucially, the survey exhibits strong evidence of Consequential Validity. Research consistently shows a significant and meaningful correlation between high scores on the victimization subscale and serious adverse mental health outcomes in the target population. This correlation, which links experiences of cyberbullying to increased feelings of anxiety, depression, and fear, underscores the instrument’s effectiveness in assessing genuine psychological and behavioral harm.

Reliability

The overall reliability of the COAS is established through its consistent deployment across numerous national surveys and academic studies, often sponsored by reputable organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although specific internal consistency coefficients, such as Cronbach’s Alpha, are detailed in the foundational academic publications, the structured design supports robust measurement.

Key elements contributing to the scale’s test-retest reliability and internal consistency across the victimization and offending subscales include the clear delineation of specific timeframes (e.g., “in the last 30 days,” “in my entire life”) and the use of structured, standardized response formats.

Factor Analysis

Initial factor analyses conducted during the development phase confirmed a clear two-factor structure underlying the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey. This structure successfully isolates the two primary roles measured by the instrument: the experience of being targeted (Victimization) and the behaviors of targeting others (Offending).

The scoring methodology and item selection reflect this factorial division:

• Cyberbullying Victimization Scale: Items 1–6, 9–11.
• Cyberbullying Offending Scale: Items 14–18.

This distinct factorial separation is critical for researchers, as it enables the simultaneous analysis of an adolescent’s participation in cyberbullying as both a victim and a perpetrator, recognizing the complex overlap often found in peer relations research.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Questionnaire/Survey Instrument

Format: Mixed format, primarily utilizing a 5-point frequency scale for specific behaviors, supplemented by multiple-choice options for assessing lifetime prevalence, motivation, and coping/response strategies.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Adolescents and youth

Age Group: 12–17 years old

Population Details: Originally administered to a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the United States.

Test Methodology: Quantitative assessment focuses on the frequency (last 30 days) and lifetime prevalence of specific online aggressive behaviors. This is followed by a qualitative inquiry exploring motivations, responses, and the resulting emotional impacts of the experience.

Keywords

Digital harassment, Cyber-victimization, Internet bullying, Aggressive behavior, Peer relations, School psychology, Sameer Hinduja, Justin Patchin, Digital violence.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected], [email protected]

Correspondence Address:

Justin W. Patchin, PhD
Department of Political Science
University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire
105 Garfield – PO Box 4004
Eau Claire, WI 54702

Sameer Hinduja, PhD
Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Florida Atlantic University
5353 Parkside Drive
Jupiter, FL 33458-2906

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale items are copyrighted by Sage Publications (2009) and require special permission for reproduction. The instrument’s foundational research was published in 2006, and the full documentation was provided in the 2009 publication, “Bullying beyond the schoolyard: Preventing and responding to cyberbullying.”

The COAS is included in the CDC compendium of assessment tools used for violence prevention. The original PDF compilation document detailing the scale can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullycompendiumbk-a.pdf

Reference’s

• Patchin, J.W., & Hinduja, S. (2006). Bullies move beyond the schoolyard: A preliminary look at cyberbullying. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 4, 148–169.
• Hinduja, S., & Patchin, J. W. (2009). Bullying beyond the schoolyard: Preventing and responding to cyberbullying. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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Items of the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

How often in the last 30 days have you experienced the following?:

1. In the last 30 days‚ have you been made fun of in a chat room?
2. In the last 30 days‚ have you received an email from someone you know that made you really mad?
3. In the last 30 days‚ have you received an email from someone you didn’t know that made you really mad? This does not include “spam” mail.
4. In the last 30 days‚ has someone posted something on your My Space page that made you upset or uncomfortable?
5. In the last 30 days‚ has someone posted something on another web page that made you upset or uncomfortable?
6. In the last 30 days‚ have you received an instant message that made you upset or uncomfortable?
7. In the last 30 days‚ have your parents talked to you about being safe on the computer?
8. In the last 30 days‚ has a teacher talked to you about being safe on the computer?
9. In the last 30 days‚ have you been bullied or picked on by another person while online?
10. In the last 30 days‚ have you been afraid to go on the computer?
11. In the last 30 days‚ has anyone posted anything about you online that you didn’t want others to see?
12. In the last 30 days‚ has anyone emailed or text messaged you and asked questions about sex that made you uncomfortable?

How often in the last 30 days have you done the following?

13. In the last 30 days‚ have you lied about your age while online?
14. In the last 30 days‚ have you posted something online about someone else to make others laugh?
15. In the last 30 days‚ have you sent someone a computer text message to make them angry or to make fun of them?
16. In the last 30 days‚ have you sent someone an email to make them angry or to make fun of them?
17. In the last 30 days‚ have you posted something on someone’s MySpace‚ Xanga‚ or Friendster page to make them angry or to make fun of them?
18. In the last 30 days‚ have you taken a picture of someone and posted it online without their permission?

Cyberbullying is when someone repeatedly makes fun of another person online or repeatedly picks on another person through email or text message or when someone posts something online about another person that they don’t like.

19. In my entire life‚ I have cyberbullied others:
    • a. never
    • b. seldom
    • c. sometime
    • d. fairly often
    • e. often
    • f. very often
20. In the last 30 days‚ I have cyberbullied others:
    • a. never
    • b. once or twice
    • c. a few times
    • d. many times
    • e. every day
21. If so‚ what was the most important reason for cyberbulling that person?
    • a. to get revenge
    • b. they deserved it
    • c. because others were doing it
    • d. for fun
    • e. because they picked on me at school
    • f. to vent my anger
    • g. to demonstrate power
    • h. I hate them
    • i. other reasons
    • j. I have not cyberbullied another person in the last 30 days
22. In my entire life‚ I have been cyberbullied:
    • a. never
    • b. seldom
    • c. sometime
    • d. fairly often
    • e. often
    • f. very often
23. In the last 30 days‚ I have been cyberbullied:
    • a. never
    • b. once or twice
    • c. a few times
    • d. many times
    • e. every day

If you have ever been cyberbullied‚ tell us about the most recent experience.

24. Did you know who it was who did this to you?
    • a. friend
    • b. someone else from school
    • c. ex-friend
    • d. ex-boyfriend or girlfriend
    • e. someone I knew from a chat room
    • f. stranger
    • g. many people
    • h. other
    • i. No one has ever cyberbullied me
25. Was the bully someone you have met in real life?
    • a. yes
    • b. no
    • c. don’t know
    • d. No one has ever cyberbullied me

How often in the last 30 days have you done the following?

26. Where you ever cyberbullied by another student at your school?
27. Where threats made online carried out at school?
28. Did you tell someone about the cyberbullying experience?
29. Did you tell your parents about the cyberbullying experience?
30. Did you tell a friend about the cyberbullying experience?
31. Did you tell a teacher about the cyberbullying experience?
32. How did you respond to the cyberbullying experience?
    • a. logged off computer
    • b. blocked bully
    • c. changed screen name or email
    • d. left site
    • e. called the police
    • f. did nothing
    • g. did something else
    • h. No one has ever cyberbullied me

How did you feel about this cyberbullying experience?

NOTE: If you have not been cyberbullied‚ choose “N/A” which means not applicable.

How did you feel about this cyberbullying experience?

Never‚ Once‚ Sometimes‚ Often‚ Many Times‚ N/A

33. Where you sad?
34. Where you scared?
35. Where you frustrated? (Original text used 28)
36. Where you embarrassed? (Original text used 29)
37. Where you angry? (Original text used 30)
38. Where you not bothered by it? (Original text used 31)