Predicting risk of cyberbullying victimization using lasso regression

Abstract: The increased online presence and use of technology by today’s adolescents has created new places where bullying can occur. The aim of this thesis is to specify a prediction model that can accurately predict the risk of cyberbullying victimization. The data used is from a survey conducted at five secondary schools in Pereira, Colombia. A logistic regression model with random effects is used to predict cyberbullying exposure. Predictors are selected by lasso, tuned by cross-validation. Covariates included in the study includes demographic variables, dietary habit variables, parental mediation variables, school performance variables, physical health variables, mental health variables and health risk variables such as alcohol and drug consumption. Included variables in the final model are demographic variables, mental health variables and parental mediation variables. Variables excluded in the final model includes dietary habit variables, school performance variables, physical health variables and health risk variables. The final model has an overall prediction accuracy of 88%.