The aim of this study was to adapt the Online Moral Disengagement Scale [21] to the Turkish population and to investigate the relationships among online moral disengagement, empathic tendency and cyberbullying. The research was conducted in several stages. The findings and discussion of each stage of the research are presented below. The scale data were collected using the Turkish form, which was translated from English into Turkish.
First, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to determine the validity of the OMD scale. As a result of the CFA, all goodness-of-fit indices of the scale, which consists of eight items and one dimension, were found to be good. The fit values obtained for the Turkish version of the scale were found to be similar to those of the original version [21]. The factor loadings of the Turkish version ranged from .43 to .93. The item total correlations ranged from .37 to .85. The item factor loadings are expected to be ≥ .40 and above [47 49]. The analysis confirmed the validity of the Turkish version of the scale.
Second, a concurrent analysis was performed. The analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between empathic tendency and online moral disengagement and cyberbullying. Additionally, a positive significant correlation was found between online moral disengagement and cyberbullying. These findings are consistent with previous studies which have reported a negative a correlation between empathic disposition and moral disengagement [50 52]. Empathy, the cognitive and emotional understanding of another's feelings, is negatively correlated with moral disengagement. It is distinct from moral disengagement. While moral disengagement allows individuals to justify their aggressive behaviors from their own perspective [34, 53], empathy enables individuals to consider the situation from the other person's point of view, take responsibility for their own actions, and act more humanely [24, 27, 35, 54]. Individuals with a high tendency toward empathy are aware of how their actions and words can impact others. High levels of empathy can reduce aggression, as individuals are able to anticipate the potential harm that aggressive behavior may cause to others [29].
This study revealed a negative correlation between empathy and cyberbullying. Research suggests a negative correlation between empathy and cyberbullying [55, 56]. Low empathy is associated with cyber aggression rather than high empathy [34], and it has been found that low empathy increases cyberbullying [35], as it prevents individuals from taking responsibility and feeling guilty for their behavior. However, some studies suggest that cyber aggression is more closely related to emotional empathy than to cognitive empathy. Additionally, these studies indicate that cyber aggression tends to increase as emotional empathy decreases [57].
Research has consistently shown a positive correlation between online moral disengagement and cyberbullying [50]. Several studies have identified moral disengagement as a predictor of cyberbullying [34, 58]. Studies have shown that cyberbullying perpetrators often view their behavior as a joke rather than something malicious [58 60]. Additionally, research has shown that moral disengagement predicts cyberbullying [34, 58].
Third, a mediating role of online moral disengagement was found in the relationship between empathetic tendency and cyberbullying. Research suggests that an increase in empathic tendency is associated with a decrease in moral disengagement and cyberbullying. Additionally, moral disengagement acts as a mediator between these variables. These findings are consistent with the results of a study conducted [51], which revealed that moral disengagement plays a mediating role between empathy and cyberbullying. Furthermore, a study support this finding by suggesting that aggressive behaviors are mediated by empathy and moral disengagement [61]. Both empathy and moral disengagement play important roles in aggressive behavior, with empathy serving as the foundation for moral behavior. Researchers emphasize that adolescents spend most of their time in the virtual environment, which limits their direct social interactions and reduces opportunities to develop social and cognitive skills [62]. Additionally, researchers argue that due to less developed empathy and moral development, adolescents may take advantage of the online environment, leading to cyberbullying [63].
Fourth, Cronbach's alpha (α = .84), McDonald's ω (ω = .84), Guttmann's λ6 (λ6 = .88), and test-retest coefficients (r = .84) were calculated for the reliability of the scale. In this study, the Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's ω, and Guttmann's λ6 values were found to be above .70. A reliability coefficient of ≥ .70 means that the scale has high reliability [64]. The values obtained in this study met these conditions. Furthermore, the test-retest values obtained indicated that the scale made stable measurements.
Despite all its strengths, the present study has several limitations. (1) The OMD scale was developed for adolescents. It can be adapted for adults. (2) This study was conducted with the general population. The reliability and validity of the scale can be calculated separately for girls and boys. Reliability and validity can be calculated with the virtual dependent population. (3) The scales used in the research were based on self-reports, which can lead to response bias.