Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology
VOL 15 NO 1 MARCH 2026

Self-Control, Moral Disengagement, and Cyber-Aggression in Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Advantageous Comparison and Distortion of Consequences

Muhammad Nafiis Ilhami (Unknown)
Miftahun Najah (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
08 Mar 2026

Abstract

The increasing intensity of social media use among adolescents has heightened the risk of cyber-aggressive behavior. Adolescents in the transitional stage of development are particularly vulnerable to the influence of the digital environment, especially when it is not balanced by adequate self-control and moral standards. This study aims to examine the relationships between self-control and moral disengagement with cyber-aggression among adolescent social media users, and to test the mediating roles of two mechanisms—advantageous comparison and distortion of consequences—in these relationships. This study employed a quantitative correlational design. A total of 204 adolescents aged 18–22 years completed the Cyber-Aggression Typology Questionnaire (CATQ), a self-control scale, and a moral disengagement scale. Data were analyzed using linear regression and mediation analysis with the assistance of JAMOVI and JASP software. The results indicated that self-control was negatively and significantly associated with cyber-aggression, whereas moral disengagement was positively and significantly associated with cyber-aggression. Furthermore, the dimensions of advantageous comparison and distortion of consequences were found to mediate the relationship between self-control and cyber-aggression. These findings suggest that lower levels of self-control and higher levels of moral disengagement increase adolescents’ tendency to engage in cyber-aggression. Therefore, strengthening self-control and enhancing moral awareness are important aspects of preventing cyber-aggressive behavior among adolescents.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

Psychology

Publisher

Subject

Education Public Health

Description

Journal of Educational, Health, and Community Psychology (JEHCP) published an article, and empirical study that have originality, novelty and fill the gap of knowledge, that focused on educational psychology, health psychology and community psychology. JEHCP is an open access peer reviewed, ...