Profiles of cyberbullying victimization among university students

This study aims to identify latent profiles based on cyberbullying victimization levels among university students and to examine how these profiles differ in terms of self esteem, perceived social support, thwarting of basic psychological needs, psychological symptoms, and technology addiction. The research was conducted with 597 university students enrolled in the 2024–2025 academic year. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Revised Cyberbullying Scale for University Students, Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, DASS-21, and Technology Addiction Scales. Latent profile analysis and a three-step regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The analyses revealed significant relationships between cyberbullying victimization, frustration of basic psychological needs, and digital addictions. Additionally, self-esteem and perceived social support were found to be protective factors against cyber victimization. Three latent profiles were identified: (1) Psychologically well-resourced, low victimization, (2) Psychologically vulnerable, victimization independent, and (3) Digitally dependent, high-risk victimization. The three-step regression analysis indicated that profiles characterized by psychological vulnerability and digital dependency had higher levels of depression and anxiety, while stress levels did not differ significantly across profiles.