The conceptualization of cyberbullying within the broader bullying literature is debated. One viewpoint (termed the Extension hypothesis) posits that cyberbullying is another form of bullying due to the shared definitional overlap and similar predictors (e.g., aggression, empathy) and outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety). An alternative viewpoint (termed the Differences hypothesis) posits that, despite these overlaps, the reliance on the Internet makes cyberbullying distinct from traditional bullying in myriad ways. One method to compare these viewpoints is to examine the correlations between cyberbullying and other variables while statistically controlling for traditional bullying. In the current research, we conducted 38 independent meta-analyses or partial correlations that tested (a) the correlates of cyberbullying perpetration while controlling for traditional bullying perpetration and (b) the correlates of cyber-victimization while controlling for traditional victimization. Results largely supported the Differences hypothesis – the majority of meta-analytic effect sizes remained significant while controlling for the traditional bullying covariate.

更广泛的欺凌文献中网络欺凌的概念存在争议。一种观点（称为“扩展假说”）认为，网络欺凌是欺凌的另一种形式，因为它们具有共同的定义重叠和相似的预测因素（例如攻击性、同理心）和结果（例如抑郁、焦虑）。另一种观点（称为差异假说）认为，尽管存在这些重叠，但对互联网的依赖使得网络欺凌在许多方面与传统欺凌不同。比较这些观点的一种方法是检查网络欺凌与其他变量之间的相关性，同时对传统欺凌进行统计控制。在当前的研究中，我们进行了 38 项独立的荟萃分析或部分相关性，测试了 (a) 控制传统欺凌行为时网络欺凌行为的相关性，以及 (b) 控制传统受害行为时网络受害的相关性。结果在很大程度上支持了差异假设——在控制传统欺凌协变量的情况下，大多数荟萃分析效应大小仍然显着。