Cyber bullying victimization and adolescent mental health: The differential moderating effects of intrapersonal and interpersonal emotional competence

The relationship between bullying victimization and problematic behaviors: A focus on the intrapersonal emotional competence and interpersonal social competence

BACKGROUND

Evidence consistently demonstrated that bullying victimization was associated with problematic behaviors among adolescents. However, scant attention has been given to simultaneous comparisons of the impacts of two distinct forms of victimization, traditional bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization. In addition, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between bullying victimization and problem behavior remain inadequately explored.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the correlation between bullying victimization and problematic behaviors, as well as the mediating roles of intrapersonal emotional competence and interpersonal social competence.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A sample of 26,450 adolescents with a mean age of 15.44 (SD = 0.56) across nine countries was derived from the Study on Social and Emotional Skills (SSES).

METHODS

Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling, comprising three key components: the measurement model, the structural model, and the bootstrapping analysis for mediating effects.

RESULTS

Both traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization exhibited positive correlations with problematic behaviors, with cyberbullying victimization demonstrating a stronger effect. The mediating effects of intrapersonal emotional competence and interpersonal social competence were observed in the correlation between bullying victimization and problematic behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

This study not only contributed to our comprehension of the underlying mechanisms connecting bullying victimization and adolescent problematic behaviors, but also holds significance for policy development and practice.

Bullying Victimization and Internalizing Problems among Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Peer Autonomy Support and Self-Esteem

The present study employed the social-ecological diathesis-stress model as a theoretical framework to extend previous research by examining the underlying mechanism and conditional process that contribute to the positive association between bullying victimization and internalizing problems among adolescents. A moderated mediation model involving peer autonomy support and self-esteem was tested using a sample of 1723 adolescents (50.7% girls; M age = 12.79, SD = 1.58), who completed questionnaires assessing internalizing problems, bullying victimization, peer autonomy support, and self-esteem. The findings revealed that self-esteem partially mediated the positive association between bullying victimization and adolescents' internalizing problems. Specifically, bullying victimization was inversely related to self-esteem, which, in turn, was negatively associated with internalizing problems. Further moderation analyses demonstrated that these direct and indirect associations varied based on levels of peer autonomy support. Simple slope analyses specifically indicated that (a) peer autonomy support buffered against the negative association of bullying victimization with self-esteem and internalizing problems, and (b) peer autonomy support mitigated the negative association of self-esteem with internalizing problems. The elucidation of this mechanism and conditional process holds important implications for early interventions and prevention efforts aimed at mitigating the detrimental association of bullying victimization with adolescents' healthy emotional functions.

A Scoping Review of Emerging COVID-19 Health Communication Research in Communication and Media Journals

This article reports a scoping review of emerging research on COVID-19 health communication. We reviewed and analyzed 206 articles published in 40 peer-reviewed communication journals between January 2020 to April 2021. Our review identified key study characteristics and overall themes and trends in this rapidly expanding field of research. Our review of health communication scholarship during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that health communication scholars have risen to the challenges and interrogated important issues in COVID-19 communication at the individual, group, organizational, and societal levels. We identified important gaps that warrant future research attention including experimental research that seeks to test the causal effects of communication, studies that evaluate communication interventions in under-served populations, research on mental health challenges imposed by the pandemic, and investigations on the promise of emerging communication technologies for supporting pandemic mitigation efforts.

Using Shattered Assumption Theory to Understand How Cyberbullying Victimization is Linked With Perceived Control Among Chinese College Students

Perceived control (PC) is considered as one of the most basic psychological needs of human beings, and it is also an important index to measure individual mental health. Previous studies have shown that negative life experience is an important risk factor for predicting PC. With the prevalence of cyberbullying among college students, this study explored how cybervictimization (CV) was related to the PC, mediated through the personal belief in a just world (PBJW). Besides, this study examined the moderating role of interpersonal forgiveness (IF) in the direct relationship between CV and PC and the indirect connection through PBJW. It was expected that CV would negatively predict the PC, and the PBJW would mediate this relationship. The direct and indirect effects were stronger in individuals with low IF than those with high IF. In this study, 837 Chinese college students were invited to conduct an online survey using a convenient sampling method. Participants were asked to complete the measurement of CV, PBJW, IF, and PC. After controlling gender and age, the results revealed that CV could directly and negatively predict college students' PC and indirectly predict the PC through the mediation of PBJW. Additionally, IF moderated the effect of CV on PBJW and PC. Unlike what we expected, the effect of CV on PBJW was stronger for low IF individuals than those with high IF, while the effect of CV on PC was stronger for high IF individuals than those with low IF. The unexpected orientation and other results were discussed.

Influence of science education on mental health of adolescents based on virtual reality

This work is developed to explore the form of mental health education, strengthen scientific educational ideas, and improve the effect of psychological therapy. Virtual reality (VR) technology is innovatively applied in adolescent mental health treatment and education. Based on this, the mental health treatment and system design based on virtual reality technology are discussed, and the feasibility of applying VR technology to adolescent mental health education is explored. Second, the research concept of adolescent mental health is discussed. Based on the VR platform setup, questionnaire survey is implemented to analyze the factors influencing the mental health of primary and secondary school students in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province (the permission of the adolescent guardian is obtained during the interview), and five factors are obtained. Based on this, the adolescent mental health treatment system based on VR is designed, and the effectiveness of the system is tested and evaluated. The results show that the integrated delay of the VR equipment used is 29 ms, which can effectively provide service. There are significant differences in mental health status among adolescents of different genders, different ages, only children and non-only children, parents’ accompaniment during growing up, and urban and rural adolescents. Finally, after 3 months of psychological treatment, the mental health score of the experimental group of teenagers is 50–55 points. However, the mental health scores of the control group remain at 56–65 points, indicating that the mental health treatment system designed in this work can effectively help the adolescents to improve their mental health, thus proving the effectiveness of the system. To sum up, this work provides scientific reference for adolescent mental health education in schools. Psychological treatment system can help teenagers improve their psychological problems and promote the development of mental health education.

The effects of cyberbullying victimization on depression and suicidal ideation among adolescents and young adults: a three year cohort study from India

BACKGROUND

Cyberbullying victimisation is considered a global public health issue concerning the psychological development of adolescents that oftentimes persists into adulthood. The current study explored the longitudinal relationship between cyberbullying victimisation and depression and suicidal ideation among adolescents and young adults, given the scarcity of such studies in poor-resource settings like India.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the "Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults" (UDAYA- 2015-16 and 2018-19) surveys conducted in two most-populated Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Bivariate and logistic regression analysis was conducted to fulfil the objectives of the study using a sample of 4428 and 11,864 adolescent (aged 10-19 years) male and female cohorts, respectively.

RESULTS

The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization increased from 3.8% to 6.4% among female respondents and 1.9% to 5.6% among male respondents over three years. About 33% of females and 16.6% of males had depressive symptoms in their young adulthood. Nearly 7.5% females compared to 2.3% of males, reported that they have seriously considered attempting suicide in the past one year. Adolscents who experienced cyberbullying victimization were 2.07 times more likely to have depressive symptoms comapared to those who did not experience cyberbullying victimization. Similarly, adolescents who experienced cyberbullying victimization were 2.50 times more likely to have suicidal ideation than their counterparts with no experience of cyberbullying victimization.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that cyberbullying victims are at higher risk of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts and these adverse effects persist for longer period. Therefore, cyberbullying and related mental health problems need to be addressed with more efficient strategies such as increased awareness of nuances of online harassments among adolescent and young adult population.

The effect of the cyberbullying awareness program on adolescents' awareness of cyberbullying and their coping skills

Due to the prevalence of cyberbullying in adolescence and its association with a number of negative psychosocial consequences, there is a need to develop programs to prevent this phenomenon. In this study, the aim was to examine the effect of the Cyberbullying Awareness Program on adolescents' awareness of cyberbullying and their coping skills. A total of 38 adolescents were included in the study, where 17 adolescents were assigned to the intervention group and 21 to the control group. The mean age of the adolescents was 13.8 (SD = 0.44). The Cyberbullying Awareness Program was administered to the intervention group in 10 sessions. The Cyberbullying Awareness Scale for Adolescents and Coping with Cyberbullying Scale were used as data collection tools in the study. As a result of the study, it was determined that the Cyberbullying Awareness Program was effective in increasing the awareness level of the adolescents in the intervention group about cyberbullying, as well the development of their skills to cope with cyberbullying. In line with the results of the study, suggestions are presented to educators and policy makers. It is recommended that policy makers include cyberbullying prevention programs in their national curriculums in order to increase the awareness of adolescents about cyberbullying and improve their coping skills, and these programs should be implemented by educators to children and adolescents nationwide.

Resilience in the face of peer victimization and perceived discrimination: The role of individual and familial factors

BACKGROUND

Peer victimization and discrimination are two related forms of social victimization. However, the majority of studies only focus on one form or the other. This study investigates resilience in victims of both these forms of violence.

OBJECTIVE

To identify individual and family level factors that foster, or hinder, resilience in the face of both peer victimization and perceived discrimination.

PARTICIPANTS

In a sample of 2975 high-school students, 22% (n = 644) met the criteria for substantial social victimization. The sample's mean age was 16.5 years, 57% were girls, 19% were in vocational courses, 12% were from an ethnic minority background, and 5% were lesbian, gay, or bisexual.

METHOD

A measure of resilience was created by regressing the mean levels of current mental health, self-esteem, and life satisfaction on the frequency of lifetime peer victimization and past year perceived discrimination. Regression analyses were conducted to identify correlates of resilience considering protective and vulnerability factors, including sociodemographic information, anxious personality, empathy, coping strategies, familial optimism, and the relationship with their mother and father.

RESULTS

Resilience was associated with low anxious personality, four coping strategies (active, use of humor, low self-blame, low substance use), and satisfaction with the relationship with the mother.

CONCLUSIONS

Resilience is related to both behavioral and meaning-making coping strategies, personality traits, and satisfaction in relationships. This study's findings can be used to tailor interventions to foster resilience in adolescents exposed to social victimization.

Cybervictimization and well-being among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating roles of emotional self-efficacy and emotion regulation

Cybervictimization has been linked to adverse psychological consequences but little is known about the mechanisms linking cybervictimization to lower well-being. We conducted two studies to examine emotional self-efficacy and distinct emotion regulation strategies as potential mediators in the relationship between cybervictimization and lower well-being among German adolescents during the school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. In Study 1, 107 adolescents (M_age = 15.76) reported their cybervictimization frequency, emotional self-efficacy beliefs, and aspects of well-being (i.e., self-esteem, perceived social support, and subjective well-being during the COVID-19 related school closures). Emotional self-efficacy mediated the link between cybervictimization and all well-being measures. Specifically, cybervictimization was related to lower well-being through lower self-efficacy for managing negative emotions. For further examination, in Study 2, 205 adolescents (M_age = 15.45) were asked to report their cybervictimization experiences, use of specific emotion regulation strategies (rumination, reappraisal, and suppression), and well-being (i.e., self-esteem and life satisfaction). Cybervictimization was related to lower well-being through more rumination, but not through reappraisal or suppression. Taken together, our findings suggest that cybervictims may have lower emotional self-efficacy beliefs and engage in more rumination, a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy. These deficits in adolescents’ beliefs and capabilities for effectively managing negative emotions may be accountable for the adverse psychological consequences of cybervictimization. Notably, exploratory analyses suggest that cybervictimization frequency did not increase among adolescents during the lockdown (e.g., homeschooling, social distancing) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Longitudinal Relationships among Cybervictimization, Peer pressure, and Adolescents' Depressive Symptoms

BACKGROUND

Most studies have used cross-sectional designs, very few of which have examined the bidirectional relationship between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms. This study examined bidirectional relationships among adolescents' cybervictimization, peer pressure, and depressive symptoms, and the mediating effect of peer pressure. As a further expansion of the present study, we examined whether these relationships would vary as the roles of gender and economic stress.

METHODS

Participants were 2,407 adolescents (M_age = 12.75, SD = 0.58; n_male = 1191). They provided data in two waves (12 months apart).

RESULTS

Results showed that there were significant bidirectional relationships between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms and peer pressure. Peer pressure significantly mediated the relationship between cybervictimization at Time 1 and depressive symptoms at Time2. For males, the relationship between cybervictimization at Time 1 and depressive symptoms at Time2 became stronger. For females, there was no significant bidirectional relationship between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms. In addition, family socioeconomic status and adolescents perceived economic stress did not moderate the longitudinal relationships among cybervictimization, peer pressure, and depressive symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

Different types of victimization needed to be included. In addition, more waves data served to explore the mediating effects.

CONCLUSIONS

The increase of cybervictimization predicts higher levels of adolescents' depressive symptoms, but only for males and not for females. Peer pressure mediates the relationship between cybervictimization and depressive symptoms.

Digital Technologies for Schizophrenia Management: A Descriptive Review

While the implementation of digital technology in psychiatry appears promising, there is an urgent need to address the implications of the absence of ethical design in the early development of such technologies. Some authors have noted the gap between technology development and ethical analysis and have called for an upstream examination of the ethical issues raised by digital technologies. In this paper, we address this suggestion, particularly in relation to digital healthcare technologies for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The introduction of digital technologies in psychiatry offers a broad spectrum of diagnostic and treatment options tailored to the health needs and goals of patients' care. These technologies include wearable devices, smartphone applications for high-immersive virtual realities, smart homes, telepsychiatry and messaging systems for patients in rural areas. The availability of these technologies could increase access to mental health services and improve the diagnostics of mental disorders. In this descriptive review, we systematize ethical concerns about digital technologies for mental health with a particular focus on individuals suffering from schizophrenia. There are many unsolved dilemmas and conflicts of interest in the implementation of these technologies, such as (1) the lack of evidence on efficacy and impact on self-perception; (2) the lack of clear standards for the safety of their daily implementation; (3) unclear roles of technology and a shift in the responsibilities of all parties; (4) no guarantee of data confidentiality; and (5) the lack of a user-centered design that meets the particular needs of patients with schizophrenia. mHealth can improve care in psychiatry and make mental healthcare services more efficient and personalized while destigmatizing mental health disorders. To ensure that these technologies will benefit people with mental health disorders, we need to heighten sensitivity to ethical issues among mental healthcare specialists, health policy makers, software developers, patients themselves and their proxies. Additionally, we need to develop frameworks for furthering sustainable development in the digital technologies industry and for the responsible usage of such technologies for patients with schizophrenia in the clinical setting. We suggest that digital technology in psychiatry, particularly for schizophrenia and other serious mental health disorders, should be integrated into treatment with professional supervision rather than as a self-treatment tool.