Validity and reliability of the Cybervictimization questionnaire in secondary education students

Abstract

This aim of this study was to investigate psychometric properties of the Cybervictimization questionnaire (CBV), a self-report questionnaire designed to assess if adolescent have been the victim of aggression through a mobile phone or Internet. To test the factorial validity and criterion validity, and the internal consistency of the questionnaire, a sample of 2,490 students from Secondary Compulsory Education participated in this study. The students responded to the CBV and the Risk Factors Questionnaire for Cybervictimization (FRC). Confirmatory factor analyses were performed for investigation of the factor structure of the scale. The results show that both models tested, the one-factor model and multifactor-model, adequately represent the internal structure of the CBV. However, to be more parsimonious, the one-factor model is preferable. For criterion-related validity, the correlation between the CBV and the FRC was calculated. As a result of this, a significant correlation was found between CBV score and the six external criteria evaluated in the FRC questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency reliability of CBV was 0.85. These results demonstrate that the CBV is a valid and reliable tool to assess victimization in Secondary Compulsory Education students.