The Role of Parent-Adolescent Communication in Cyber Victimization and Emotional Regulation Among Adolescents

Abstract

This study looked at how parent-adolescent communication relates to cyber victimization and emotional regulation in a sample of 300 adolescents (135 boys, 165 girls) between the ages of 10 and 19, recruited through convenience sampling from private schools and colleges in Mansehra, Pakistan. Participants completed the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale, the Cyber-Victimization Scale, and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Correlational results showed that positive parent-adolescent communication was associated with lower cyber victimization and stronger emotional regulation, while problematic communication showed the reverse pattern. A regression analysis confirmed that positive communication was a significant negative predictor of cyber victimization, and that problematic communication was a significant negative predictor of emotional regulation. Older adolescents reported less victimization and better regulation than younger adolescents. Girls reported both higher cyber victimization and, somewhat unexpectedly, higher emotional regulation than boys. Adolescents from joint family systems reported stronger emotional regulation than those from nuclear families, though the two groups did not differ significantly on victimization. Taken together, these results support the view that the everyday quality of parent-adolescent conversation is closely bound up with how adolescents experience and cope with the risks of online life, and they carry practical relevance for parents, school counselors, and policymakers concerned with adolescent digital wellbeing.