The relationship between pro-social risky behaviors and the behavior of college students who bully others online: the role of positive psychological capital and interpersonal trust

The study aimed to explore the relationship between pro-social risk-taking behaviors and the behavior of college students who act as bystanders in cyberbullying incidents. A total of 533 college students were surveyed using scales measuring pro-social risk-taking behaviors, positive psychological capital, interpersonal trust, and the behavior of bystanders in cyberbullying incidents. The results showed that: (1) Pro-social risk-taking behaviors significantly negatively predicted the behavior of college students who act as bystanders in cyberbullying incidents. Positive psychological capital played a partial mediating role between these two variables; (2) Interpersonal trust acted as a moderator between the direct and indirect pathways connecting pro-social risk-taking behaviors with the behavior of bystanders in cyberbullying incidents. High levels of interpersonal trust could promote pro-social risk-taking behaviors and reduce the occurrence of cyberbullying incidents.