Do Shy Individuals Engage in Cyber Aggression? The Multiple Mediation of Passive Use and Relative Deprivation and the Moderation of Moral Sensitivity

Shyness has been shown to be linked to aggression. However, whether this relationship occurs in cyberspace and the mechanisms that might affect it are largely unexplored. Based on the social fitness model, the current study examined the relationship between shyness and cyber aggression, as well as the mediating roles of passive use and relative deprivation. Moreover, according to the integration of the social information processing model and moral domain theory, moral sensitivity serves as a moderator in the direct and indirect links between shyness and cyber aggression. A total of 700 Chinese college students (M- age = 18.68, 53.57% women) participated in the current study and completed multiple questionnaires, namely, the Shyness Scale, Cyber-Aggression Scale, Passive Use of Social Network Site Scale, Relative Deprivation Scale, and Ethical Sensitivity Scale. The results showed that shyness was positively associated with cyber aggression through the multiple mediating effects of passive use and relative deprivation. Additionally, moderated mediation analysis indicated that moral sensitivity moderated the direct and indirect relationship between shyness and cyber aggression. A high level of moral sensitivity weakened the association of shyness with cyber aggression and the association of relative deprivation with cyber aggression, supporting the moderated mediation model. This study implicates the underlying mechanisms of the relationship between shyness and cyber aggression and preventative interventions to reduce the risk of cyber aggression.