Development and validation of a scale of cyberbullying and online aggressive conduct in Brazilian adolescents

BackgroundCyberbullying (CYB) is an increasing problem, especially among young people, requiring new ways to measure this construct. Currently, there are gaps in the development of a scale to validate the identification of CYB. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate the Scale of Cyberbullying and Online Aggressive Conduct (SCOAC), considering a sample of 642 adolescents (11–17 years old).MethodsFor the internal structure, we conducted Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Network Analysis (NA) on 60% of the sample, followed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) on the remaining 40%, with multigroup invariance analyses by gender. We also evaluated external evidence, including criterion validity (using the Florence Cybervictimization Inventory - FCBVS), convergent validity (SAS-SV, SPAI-SF, STDS, IAT, PIUQ-9), and nomological validity (DASS-21, DERS-18, UPPS-P, aggression, quality of life, CRAFFT/CESARE). Predictive validity was examined with an ROC curve based on risk classes from Latent Profile Analysis (LPA).ResultsEFA indicated KMO = 0.890 and explained 72.4% of the variance; the final 3-factor solution with 17 items (Threat; Defamation/Exposure; Emotional Problems) was confirmed in the CFA (CFI = 0.991; TLI = 0.989; RMSEA≈0.030; SRMR = 0.048). The reliability of the SCOAC was high (total α=0.915; total ω=0.919; subscales α=0.837–0.873). In criterion validity, the total SCOAC score correlated with the FCBVSs instrument (ρ = 0.649). In convergent validity, we found higher correlations with indicators of smartphone use/messaging. In the nomological validity analysis, correlations were moderate for anxiety (ρ=0.437), stress (ρ=0.404), and depression (ρ=0.387). The ROC analysis showed an AUC of 0.85 (95% CI 0.82–0.88) and a cutoff point of ≥8. 29.9% were classified as having signs of CYB and demonstrated greater emotional distress, impulsivity, emotional dysregulation, aggression, poorer quality of life, and increased substance involvement compared to others.ConclusionsThe SCOAC has a stable structure, high reliability, strong evidence of validity, and good screening accuracy for CYB, making it a brief, practical tool for identifying cyber risks among adolescents.