08/27/2026
Are there psychological predictors of cyberbullying resilience and prevention?
That’s what Doctors Anar Kalzhanova and Gakku Rakhimova wanted to find out during their Bolashak International Scholars fellowship at Michigan State University College of Education through MSU VIPP.
Last Monday, their presentation ‘Multidisciplinary Research in Education: Cyberbullying from Two Perspectives’ explored the research conducted over the past year with support from Doctors Jun Fu and Samantha Caughlan.
A scan of existing research revealed important gaps: relatively few studies on the psychological predictors of cyberbullying resilience and prevention, particularly among university students in Kazakhstan. So, they designed a study to look at three possible predictors—demographics, online experience, and assertiveness level, which manifests in a range, from passive aggressive to confident to overconfident. They had two key research questions: 1) Does assertiveness vary across gender groups?; and 2) Does assertiveness predict emotional distress from online attacks?
They surveyed over 200 Kazakh university students and found no significant difference in assertiveness by gender, suggesting that while students may cope differently, assertiveness appears to be a psychological resource available regardless of gender. They also found that higher levels of assertiveness were associated with lower emotional distress from cyberbullying, particularly among those who experience repeated online attacks.
It has been a pleasure working with these two Bolashak International Scholars. The Office of International Studies in Education (OISE) can’t wait to hear how they build upon this research back home in Kazakhstan!
OISE advances global perspectives in teaching, research, and outreach.
Centre for International Programmes - Bolashaq Kokshetau, Kazakhstan
