Journal of Childhood

Background and Aim: Academic cheating is recognized as one of the most serious challenges to mental health and academic integrity among adolescents. The present study aimed to model the effect of narcissism and bullying on academic cheating with the mediating role of moral development in high school students.
Research Method: This research employed a correlational design. The statistical population included all high school students in Zanjan city during the 2024–2025 academic year. A sample of 311 students (167 boys and 144 girls) was selected through multistage cluster sampling. Participants completed the Academic Cheating Questionnaire (Murdock & Stephens, 2005), the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16 (Ames, Rose, & Anderson, 2006), the Illinois Bullying Scale (Espelage & Holt, 2001), and the Moral Development Scale (Maanipour, 2012). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, path analysis, and bootstrap testing in SPSS version 28 and AMOS version 24.
Results: The results indicated that the proposed model had a good fit. Narcissism and bullying positively and significantly predicted academic cheating. Moral development negatively and significantly predicted academic cheating. Additionally, narcissism and bullying negatively and significantly predicted moral development. The results of indirect effects also revealed that moral development played a significant mediating role in the relationship between narcissism and bullying with academic cheating.
Conclusion: The findings highlighted the important protective role of moral development as a mediating mechanism in the relationship between narcissism and bullying with academic cheating. Preventive and therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing academic cheating in high school students can focus on strengthening moral reasoning, improving empathy, and reducing moral disengagement mechanisms. Furthermore, designing anti-bullying programs and parent education to prevent the cultivation of narcissism in adolescents are recommended.