Cyberbullying represents a complex relational and moral dynamic that influences well-being and development. Automatic and emotional moral processes impact decision-making in cyberbullying. Moral sensitivity is an automatic process that involves recognizing that the situation is immoral (cognitive dimension) and triggering an affective reaction to the situation (affective dimension). Schadenfreude is a moral emotion consisting of enjoyment when seeing other people suffer, and whose activation has been related to transgressive behaviour in adulthood. Despite this, the study of this automatic and emotion processes among schoolchildren online relationships has received little scientific attention, possibly due to a lack of instruments. The sample consisted of more than 2,000 Spanish early and middle adolescents.
The affective response in moral sensibility was associated with lower cyberbullying perpetration. Thorough multiple linear regression models, schadenfreude due to aversion directly and significantly predicted involvement in cyberbullying aggression. Schadenfreude due to justice inversely predicted cyberbullying Aggression. This work highlights the main role of moral sensibility and schadenfreude in decision-making when facing peer cyberbullying. It is discussed how schadenfreude due to aversion can increase the risk of participating in cyberbullying. However, when this moral emotion arises from evaluations of justice, the probability of engaging in cyberbullying was seen to decrease, which could indicate that, although schoolchildren can experience schadenfreude at the misfortunes of others, the dimension of justice associated with this emotion could be mediated by the existence of a certain moral criterion or judgment which prevents them from participating in cyberbullying. These findings may be useful for guiding psycho-educational interventions aimed at improving moral emotion regulation and preventing cyberbullying. These results are analysed in the context of the educational program "CuidaMe", that promotes sociomoral and emotional competence.