The arena under digital shadows: The cross-temporal impact of cyberbullying on perceived pressure and competitive depression in high-level athletes

Abstract

To examine the longitudinal relationships among cyberbullying, perceived pressure, and depression, this study employed a cross-lagged panel analysis to conduct biannual tracking surveys with 301 high-level Chinese athletes over a 1-year period. The sample comprised 131 males and 170 females, with age distribution as follows: 93 participants aged 18–21, 109 aged 22–25, 61 aged 26–29, and 38 aged 30 or above. Participants represented various sport types: 118 individual event athletes, 70 paired event athletes, and 113 team sport athletes. The results show that cyberbullying consistently leads to increased perceived pressure among high-level athletes over time. Similarly, cyberbullying also consistently contributes to higher levels of depression in these athletes. The study also found that an athlete’s perceived pressure can lead to increased depression over time. These findings suggest that perceived pressure may help explain how cyberbullying leads to depression.