Longitudinal and reciprocal relations of cyberbullying with depression, substance use, and problematic internet use among adolescents

Relationship between cyberbullying, anxiety, and depression among university students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

Cyberbullying is online aggressive behavior that involves insulting or threatening others, and can cause severe psychological issues, particularly in students. This is often attributed to the frequency and anonymity of the bullying behaviors. Given the lack of research on this issue in Saudi Arabia, the current study sought to evaluate the prevalence of cyberbullying and its relationship with anxiety, depression, and stress among university students in Jeddah.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved administration of an online questionnaire to 877 university students in Jeddah. Cyberbullying and cybervictimization were assessed using the Revised Cyberbullying Inventory scale (RCBI-II) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21).

RESULTS

The majority of students had the experience of being a cyberbully (73%), while 54% had been a victim of cyberbullying. No significant association was found between gender and cyberbullying, with both males and females reporting high rates of cyberbullying. The majority of participants (n = 498) also reported significant depressive symptoms. A significant positive association was found between cyberbullying/cybervictimization and depression, anxiety, and stress.

CONCLUSION

A considerable number of university students were found to be victims of cyberbullying, with a strong correlation between cyberbullying and anxiety, depression, and stress, indicating a potential impact on the psychological well-being of students. To address this issue, increased awareness of cyberbullying is needed, along with implementation of preventive measures such as educational campaigns and empathy-building activities among students.

Prevalence of major depressive disorder and its determinants among young married women and unmarried girls: Findings from the second round of UDAYA survey

INTRODUCTION

Depression is a prevalent and debilitating mental illness affecting young women worldwide. This study aimed to identify psychosocial determinants of major depressive disorder (MDD) among young women in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India.

METHODS

Data from "Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults" (UDAYA) study (2018-19) for young women aged 12-23 years, both married and unmarried was used for this paper. MDD was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-9 with a cut-off score of ≤10. The determinants of MDD were identified through multilevel binary logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The prevalence of MDD was 13.6% (95% CL 12.2-15.2) and 5.1% (95% CL 4.2-6.1) for young married women and unmarried girls, respectively. Among the young married women, community-level variables like dowry-related humiliation (1.74, 95% CI 1.15-2.64), and sexual assaults (2.15, 95% CI 1.24-3.73) were significantly associated with MDD. For unmarried girls, reporting of family violence <10% of participants (0.45, 95% CI 0.24-0.85), family violence (≥10% of participants) % (0.35 95% CI 0.19-0.68) and interpartner violence (>25% of participants) (0.42; 95% CI 0.23-0.74) remain significant predictors of MDD. At individual level, for both the groups, age, participation in decision making (on education), social capital (currently attending school/educational course and number of friends), self-efficacy, telephonic harassment, and physical activity were associated with MDD. Wealth index, job seeking, participation in decision making (on health-seeking), parental interactions and physical abuse (for unmarried girls only) and education, reported last sexual intercourse, pressure from the in-laws' to conceive (for young married women only) were associated with MDD.

CONCLUSIONS

For young married women, community level targeted interventions should focus on the social ecology to foster a sense of safe community environment. For unmarried girls, additionally, interventions should aim to optimize their family environment for effective mental health outcomes.

Relationships between experiences of humiliation on social networks, problematic phone use, and aggressive and altruistic behaviors in young adults

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between cybervictimization in social networks, problematic smartphone use, aggressive behaviors, and prosocial altruistic tendencies in young adults. The sample consisted of 601 young adults (mean age = 19.96 years; SD = 2.27; 69.1% female) who were administered online assessments of experiences of humiliation on networks, problematic smartphone use, prosocial altruistic tendencies, and aggressiveness. Results indicated significant indirect effects of cyber victimization on aggressiveness and prosocial altruistic tendencies through problematic smartphone use. Problematic cell phone use explained the relationships between online humiliation and aggressive and prosocial altruistic behaviors. The results confirmed the positive relationship between cybervictimization and problematic cell phone use, consistent with previous research. However, the negative relationship between cybervictimization and altruistic prosocial tendencies was not corroborated. The findings emphasize the need to promote actions that foster social connectedness and interdependence among young individuals to develop their identity within the community.

Cross-Cultural Examination of Problematic Internet Use and Associated Psychological Variables: A Comparative Study in Italy, Spain, Ecuador, and Peru

Background: Several studies focused on the escalating prevalence of Problematic Use of Internet (PUI) and its consequential impact on mental health globally. This study investigates the relationship between PUI and associated psychological variables across different cultural contexts in Italy, Spain, Ecuador, and Peru. Method: A total of 675 participants, aged 18 to 54 (M = 22.73; SD = 4.05), completed measures assessing Internet addiction, social media addiction, Fear of Missing Out, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Phubbing. Results: Significant cultural variations were found, with Italian participants showing higher levels of Internet addiction but lower levels of social media addiction compared to other countries. Fear of Missing Out was higher in Italy, while the Italian sample exhibited lower Internet Gaming Disorder levels compared to Peru. As regards the communication disturbance caused by Phubbing, the Italian sample demonstrated significantly higher scores than the Peruvian sample. Linear regression analyses revealed distinct predictors for problematic Internet use in each country, emphasizing the importance of considering the cultural context in understanding this phenomenon. Conclusions: These findings contribute valuable insights into the interplay of cultural factors, psychological variables, and problematic Internet use, guiding future research and interventions.

Multiple Discrimination and Substance Use Intention in Late Childhood: Findings From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study

PURPOSE

The study aimed to investigate longitudinal, bidirectional associations between discrimination due to multiple reasons (race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, weight; termed multiple discrimination) and substance use (SU) intention in late childhood. These associations were compared across youth with no, single, and multiple (i.e., intersecting) marginalized identities based on race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and overweight status.

METHODS

Data were drawn from a national sample of youth in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study (N = 8,530; 9-12 years old). Youth reported both their experiences of multiple discrimination (the number of forms of discrimination youth experienced) and SU intention at one-year and two-year follow-ups. Theoretically relevant covariates were included.

RESULTS

Compared to non-marginalized youth (n = 2,689) and youth with single marginalized identities (n = 3,399), youth with intersecting marginalized identities (n = 2,442) reported the highest SU intention and multiple discrimination across waves. Only for this last group, multiple discrimination predicted stronger SU intention subsequently (β = 0.07, 95% confidence interval [0.02, 0.11]), whereas stronger SU intention predicted lower levels of multiple discrimination over time (β = -0.06, 95% confidence interval [-0.09, -0.02]). Sensitivity analyses yielded similar patterns with some nuances among subgroups of youth with varying intersecting marginalized identities.

DISCUSSION

Multiple discrimination predicted stronger SU intention over time in late childhood, particularly among youth with intersecting marginalized identities. Policies and practices should consider addressing multiple discrimination to reduce SU disparities among diverse youth.

The Association between Cyberbullying Victimization and Depression among Children: A Moderated Mediation Model

Cyberbullying victimization is becoming more prevalent and adversely affects mental health. This research explores the relationship between the two variables and the underlying mechanism, especially for children, as the impact of mental health in childhood might last a lifetime. Primary school students (N = 344; Mage = 9.90; 43.90% girls) completed self-report questionnaires regarding cyberbullying victimization, self-perceived social competence, optimism, and depression at school. Gender and grade were controlled as covariates. Depression was positively predicted by cyberbullying victimization, while self-perceived social competence played a partially mediating role. In addition, optimism directly and indirectly moderated the effects of cyberbullying victimization on depression. Specifically, the effects were stronger for children with low levels of optimism. Therefore, efforts to enhance children's self-perceived social competence and optimism may reduce their depression resulting from cyberbullying victimization.

Do testosterone and cortisol levels moderate aggressive responses to peer victimization in adolescents?

Aggressive reactions to peer victimization may be tempered by hormone levels. Grounded on the dualhormone hypothesis (DHH), which proposes that testosterone (T) is associated with aggressive behavior only when cortisol (C) is low, this study assessed whether the combination of T and C moderated adolescents' aggressive responses to peer victimization. The study involved 577 adolescents (50.4% girls, aged 12-17 years), who completed measures of online and offline victimization and perpetration of aggressive behavior in three waves over the course of one year. Moreover, they provided salivary samples to measure T and C levels. Multilevel analyses showed a three-way interaction between T, C, and victimization levels for both online and offline aggressive behaviors. In both cases, the adolescents with high T and high C or low T and low C responded with more aggressive behaviors when victimized or provoked by peers. The T/C ratio was only associated with aggressive behavior in the girls' sample. The results are opposite to those predicted by the DHH, but they are consistent with the findings of other studies that examined aggressive behaviors as reactions to provocations. These results suggest that some combinations of T and C predict higher aggressive reactions to peer victimization.

Longitudinal relations among family dysfunction, depressive symptoms, and cyberbullying involvement in Chinese early adolescents: Disentangling between- and within-person associations

Family dysfunction plays an important role in cyberbullying and cybervictimization. However, little research has investigated the longitudinal relations and the mediating mechanisms between them during adolescence. This study examined the longitudinal relations between family dysfunction and cyberbullying and cybervictimization, along with whether depressive symptoms function as mediators between them at the within-person level. A total of 3,743 Chinese adolescents (46.2% females; Mage = 9.92 years; SD = 0.51) participated a five-wave longitudinal study with a 6-month time interval. The results of random intercept cross-lagged panel model found that: (1) family dysfunction directly predicted depressive symptoms and vice versa at the within-person level; (2) depressive symptoms directly predicted cyberbullying and cybervictimization at the within-person level, but not vice versa; (3) family dysfunction indirectly predicted cyberbullying and cybervictimization via depressive symptoms at the within-person level; (4) at the between-person level, there were significant associations among family dysfunction, depressive symptoms, cyberbullying and cybervictimization. The results are discussed on the basis of the mechanisms that lead to cyberbullying and cybervictimization.

Toxic sensation seeking? Psychological distress, cyberbullying, and the moderating effect of online disinhibition among adults

Cyberbullying among adults is barely studied, though its consequences may be as severe as in children and adolescents. The present study investigated the links between psychological distress, cyber-perpetration, and passive cyber-bystander behavior. We also explored the moderating role of toxic disinhibition in this regard. Our sample comprised 385 adults aged 19-66 (M = 28.35, SD = 11.22, 76.62% females). The results suggested that psychological distress was significantly associated with cyberbullying perpetration and passive bystander behavior. Also, higher psychological distress significantly predicted toxic disinhibition. Further moderation analyses suggested that at high and medium levels of toxic disinhibition, psychological distress significantly predicted cyberbullying perpetration but not passive cyber-bystander behavior. Finally, we discuss our results regarding their theoretical and practical implication for cyberbullying prevention among adults.

Cyberbullying and mental health: past, present and future

Purpose

Cyberbullying has attracted the world's attention, and therefore researchers across the world have contributed to the literature on cyberbullying and mental health. Amongst others, they have conducted bibliometric analyses and associated cyberbullying with various factors but have not determined the impact of cyberbullying on people's mental health. Hence, the aim of this study was to conduct bibliometric analyses of cyberbullying and mental health to analyze the academic performance of the literature on impact of cyberbullying on people's mental health; and to propose future research avenues to make further contributions to this field of study.

Methodology

Spreadsheets and VOSviewer were used to conduct the bibliometric analysis. The data were extracted from the SCOPUS database which provided an extensive collection of data and journals.

Findings

Having explored the top active countries publishing on the impact of cyberbullying on people's mental health and the academic performance of such research articles by means of a qualitative bibliometric analysis, the results revealed that this research topic is still to be researched extensively. The study also suggests countries/regions where this research topic can be explored further, as well as possible journals for publication of research results, and further studies to be conducted.

Discussion

The literature presents a fragmented view on the impact of cyberbullying on people's mental health. Studies on cyberbullying are limited for the reasons as discussed in this article. Hence, bibliometric analysis was conducted to analyze the performance of academic literature on the impact of cyberbullying on people's mental health; the academic performance of research articles on cyberbullying and mental health; and to make proposals toward a future research agenda.

Problematic Use of the Internet and Well-Being among Youth from a Global Perspective: A Mediated-Moderated Model of Socio-Emotional Factors

Problematic Use of the Internet (PUI) is characterized as the inability to control one's internet use or as an excessive use of the internet that may result in social, psychological, and emotional difficulties (Fernandes et al., 2019). It is regarded nowadays as an increasingly worrisome public heath issue, especially among youth. This study explored the contexts in which youth PUI occurs and its associations with socio-emotional functioning that may lead to a decrease in one's sense of well-being. We conducted this exploration among 783 middle school students from the US (425 students; 54.27%) and Israel (358 students; 45.73%). The overall age of both samples ranged between 12 and 16 (M = 13.94, SD = 1.59). In the Israeli sample, 49.1% of the students were girls and 50.9% were boys, whereas in the US sample, 48.8% were girls and 51.2% were boys. The study examined the role of depressive mood, loneliness, resilience, self-control, and school engagement in mediating the relationship between PUI and well-being, and how country of origin might moderate these relationships. Results indicate PUI was related to lower well-being only for the US sample. Yet, for both samples, higher loneliness was related to lower well-being, and higher school engagement was related to higher well-being. A moderated mediation analysis revealed the socio-emotional variables were all mediators in these associations, but differently for each country sample. The study results are discussed according to key factors required for developing intervention programs for coping with youth PUI behaviors.

Prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation and its association with family dysfunction, health behaviour and psychological distress among young adults in urban Selangor, Malaysia: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Cyberbullying is a growing public health concern with clear, negative impacts on the mental, physical and social health of targeted victims. Previous research on cyberbullying has largely focused on examining its occurrence among children and adolescents. The present study aims to examine the prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation and its association with family dysfunction, health behaviour and psychological distress among young adults in Selangor, Malaysia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in a locality within Selangor, sampling a total of 1449 young adults. The Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey was used to measure cyberbullying victimisation. The Family APGAR scale, General Health Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and single-item measures were used to assess family dysfunction, psychological distress and health behaviour, respectively.

RESULTS

The 1-month prevalence of cyberbullying victimisation among young adults was 2.4%. The most common cyberbullying act experienced was mean or hurtful comments about participants online (51.7%), whereas the most common online environment for cyberbullying to occur was social media (45.8%). Male participants (adjusted OR (AOR)=3.60, 95% CI=1.58 to 8.23) had at least three times the odds of being cyberbullied compared with female participants. Meanwhile, participants with higher levels of psychological distress had increased probability of being cyberbullied compared with their peers (AOR=1.13, 95% CI=1.05 to 1.21).

CONCLUSIONS

As evident from this study, cyberbullying victimisation prevails among young adults and is significantly related to gender and psychological distress. Given its devastating effects on targeted victims, a multipronged and collaborative approach is warranted to reduce incidences of cyberbullying and safeguard the health and well-being of young adults.

Problematic internet use in emerging adulthood to escape from maternal helicopter parenting: defensive functioning as a mediating mechanism

The increasing use of the Internet has raised concerns about its problematic use, particularly among emerging adults who grew up in a highly digitalized world. Helicopter parenting, characterized by excessive involvement, overcontrol, and developmentally inappropriate behavior, has been identified as a potential factor contributing to problematic Internet use (PIU). Under these circumstances, considering that emerging adults navigate their adult lives and strive to reduce their sense of being in-between, implicit emotion regulation strategies, such as defense mechanisms, may help comprehend PIU. The present questionnaire-based study investigated the associations between maternal and paternal helicopter parenting and PIU through defensive functioning among a community sample of 401 cisgender emerging adults (71.82% females; 82.04% heterosexuals; Mage=24.85, SD=2.52) living in Italy. About one-fourth (25.19%) reported PIU. Greater maternal, B=0.904, SE=0.235, p<.001, but not paternal, B=0.343, SE=0.188, p=.068, helicopter parenting was significantly associated with PIU through a less mature defensive functioning. Conversely, neither maternal, B=1.158, SE=0.722, p=.109, nor paternal, B=0.355, SE=0.731, p=.628, helicopter parenting had a direct association with PIU. The results suggest the importance for psychotherapists to incorporate individuals' defense mechanisms and parent-child relationship history when designing tailored interventions for effective treatment of PIU. This emphasis is crucial because, in the context of a developmentally appropriate parenting style, relying on more mature defenses after psychotherapeutic intervention can lead to healthier adjustment among emerging adults.

Violence against women on Twitter in India: Testing a taxonomy for online misogyny and measuring its prevalence during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Online misogyny is a violation of women's digital rights. Empirical studies on this topic are however lacking, particularly in low- and middle- income countries. The current study aimed to estimate whether prevalence of online misogyny on Twitter in India changed since the pandemic.

METHODS

Based on prior theoretical work, we defined online misogyny as consisting of six overlapping forms: sexist abuses, sexual objectification, threatening to physically or sexually harm women, asserting women's inferiority, justifying violence against women, and dismissing feminist efforts. Qualitative analysis of a small subset of tweets posted from India (40,672 tweets) substantiated this definition and taxonomy for online misogyny. Supervised machine learning models were used to predict the status of misogyny across a corpus of 30 million tweets posted from India between 2018 and 2021. Next, interrupted time series analysis examined changes in online misogyny prevalence, before and during COVID-19.

RESULTS

Qualitative assessment showed that online misogyny in India existed most in the form of sexual objectification and sexist abusive content, which demeans women and shames them for their presumed sexual activity. Around 2% of overall tweets posted from India between 2018 and 2021 included some form of misogynistic content. The absolute volume as well as proportion of misogynistic tweets showed significant increasing trends after the onset of COVID-19, relative to trends prior to the pandemic.

CONCLUSION

Findings highlight increasing gender inequalities on Twitter since the pandemic. Aggressive and hateful tweets that target women attempt to reinforce traditional gender norms, especially those relating to idealized sexual behavior and framing of women as sexual beings. There is an urgent need for future research and development of interventions to make digital spaces gender equitable and welcoming to women.

School Belongingness as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Self-Reported PTSD and Cyber Victimization: Sex Differences

ABSTRACT

The incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Traumatized adolescents might cope with maladaptive strategies such as increased Internet usage, which might be a risk for cyber victimization. We investigated the relationship between self-reported PTSD and cyber victimization and the mediator role of school belongingness in this relationship. The sample consisted of 292 adolescents ages 11-14 years old (M = 12.53, SD = 0.71; nfemale = 165, 56.1%; nmale = 129, 43.9%). Results show that males are more likely to be cyber victims and have lower levels of school belongingness than females. In addition, results supported the association between higher levels of PTSD and higher levels of cyber victimization. Traumatized adolescents with high levels of school belongingness are less likely to be cyber victims. These findings highlight the importance of school-related personal and relational characteristics in promoting adolescent mental health.

Effectiveness of Digital Health Interventions in Reducing Bullying and Cyberbullying: A Meta-Analysis

Bullying and cyberbullying bring adverse physical and psychological impacts on individuals and an economic burden for society. Scholars have developed anti-bullying intervention programs to combat these problems. This meta-analysis aims to examine and compare the effectiveness of digital health interventions (DHIs) in reducing bullying and cyberbullying. A comprehensive search was conducted using databases (PsycINFO, Social Service Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, MEDLINE, ERIC, and EMBASE). Quasi-experimental and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published before 31 January 2021 that reported the effects of DHIs in reducing bullying or cyberbullying were included. The 16 studies included in the synthesis reported overall random effect sizes (Cohen's d) for bullying and cyberbullying reduction were 0.41 and 0.19, respectively. The results provide evidence on the effectiveness of DHIs, comparable to that of face-to-face interventions. The subgroup analysis revealed that the critical components of effective DHIs include training on bystander and bully-victim dual roles, coping skills, and interactive serious games. It highlights the promising effects of digital health approaches in bullying and cyberbullying interventions. Our review identifies avenues for future research on the development of more effective DHIs to reduce bullying and cyberbullying.

The role of self-efficacy and parental communication in the association between cyber victimization and depression among adolescents and young adults: a structural equation model

BACKGROUND

With the rapid advancement and revolutionization of information and communication technologies, adolescents and young adults use smartphones, the internet, and social networking services more frequently, as a result, the problem of cyber-bullying sharply increases, and eventually it causes psychological issues and negative thoughts in the victims. This study aimed to examine the role of self-efficacy and parental communication in the relationship between cyber victimization and depression among adolescents and young adults in India.

METHODS

Secondary data analysis was performed on a cross-sectional dataset obtained from the Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA) wave 2 survey. The sample included 16,292 adolescent and young adult boys and girls aged 12-23 years. Karl Pearson Correlation coefficient analysis was done to examine the correlation between outcome variable (depressive symptoms), mediator variables (self-efficacy and parental communication) and key explanatory variable (cyber victimization). Further, structural equation modeling technique was applied to examine the hypothesized pathways.

RESULTS

Adolescents and young adults being victims of cyber-bullying [β = 0.1357, p < 0.001] and those witnessed inter-parental violence were positively [β = 0.0026, p < 0.001] correlated with depressive symptoms. Self-efficacy and parental communication were negatively related to depressive symptoms among adolescents and young adults. There was a significant positive relationship between cyber victimization [β = 0.258, p < 0.001] and depressive symptoms. Cyber victimization was positively related to self-efficacy [β = 0.043, p < 0.001] among adolescents and young adults. Self-efficacy [β= -0.150, p < 0.001] and parental communication [β=-0.261, p < 0.001] reduced depressive symptoms among the participants.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that adolescents and young adults who are victims of cyber-bully may have depressive symptoms and their mental health can be improved through the enhancement of self-efficacy and increased parental communication. Improved peer attitudes and familial support for empowering cyber victims should be taken into account while framing programs and interventions.

Psycho-Social Correlates of Cyberbullying among Polish Adolescents

Cyberbullying has recently attracted attention due to its increasing prevalence and serious consequences for both victims and perpetrators. The objective of this population-based study was to examine the determinants of a person becoming a perpetrator of cyberbullying, including personal resources (emotional self-regulation, self-esteem, internal locus of control, optimism), social skills (prosocial behavior, assertiveness, cognitive empathy, cooperation), peer relationships (peer support, threats from peers, peer rejection, dislike of peers), and problematic Internet use (excessive Internet use, impulsive reactions to Internet deprivation). Participants (N = 541) were students at elementary schools (age 14-15) in Ostroleka, a city in central-eastern Poland. Two-part regression was used to explore protective/risk factors of the likelihood of an individual using cyberviolence (dichotomous part: involvement in violence) and how often it is used (continuous part: frequency of cyberbullying). The results showed that the emotional component is crucial to cyberbullying, as indicated by the importance of emotional self-control, which reduces the frequency of cyberbullying. Other important factors are assertiveness, impulsive response to limited Internet access (which increases the likelihood of engaging in cyberbullying) and fear of peers (which reduces its frequency). In turn, the importance of pro-sociality (which inhibits engagement) and peer support (which promotes engagement) points to the second important component of cyberbullying-that is, group mechanisms. At the same time, the results indicate that while the importance of Internet addiction as a risk factor for cyberbullying should not be underestimated, the amount of time spent online cannot be seen as the source of the problem. The study leads to the conclusion that effective interventions targeting cyberbullying should focus on the development of more adaptive styles of coping with emotions.

A Growth Mindset and Self-Affirmation Intervention to Reduce Violent and Risky Online Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Previous Victimization

The Internet is the setting for several forms of violent and risky behavior among adolescents, such as cyberbullying, sexualized interactions with adults, sexting, and online dating violence. Often, these behaviors are responses to experiences of online victimization. This study examined the differential effects of a wise intervention (WI), combining growth mindset and self-affirmation strategies, on these behaviors for adolescents who had experienced victimization and those who had not. A sample of 1,085 adolescents (54.3% girls; ages 11-18 years) were randomized into two intervention conditions (WI and an anti-stress control intervention). They completed measures of violent and risky behaviors at pretest and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups and measures of victimization at pretest. The results of multilevel analyses indicated that the WI was beneficial for adolescents without experiences of victimization at pretest, as they displayed smaller increases in online peer aggressions, sexualized interactions with adults, and sexting than the adolescents in the control condition. However, the WI was not beneficial for adolescents with experiences of victimization at pretest. Moreover, the adolescents under the anti-stress control condition displayed better outcome. These findings suggest that previous victimization experiences of adolescents should be considered to select an appropriate intervention.

Longitudinal associations between cyber victimization and problematic mobile phone use in adolescents: Disentangling between-person effects from within-person effects

BACKGROUND

Being the target of cyber victimization has been shown to be connected with several forms of maladjustment among adolescents. However, there is not a clear understanding of the impact of cyber victimization on Problematic Mobile Phone Use (PMPU) and the potential mechanism underlying the association. The present study tested the longitudinal association between cyber victimization and adolescents' PMPU as well as the mediating role of sleep problems in this association.

METHODS

A sample of 1835 Chinese adolescents (55.9 % boys; M_age = 12.34) completed self-report questionnaires regarding cyber victimization, sleep problems and PMPU at four time points, using 6-month intervals. Gender, age and socioeconomic status were controlled for in the analyses. We tested cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) and random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) to separate between- and within-person effects, allowing a robust and rigorous test of relationships among variables.

RESULTS

As hypothesized, at the within-person level, cyber victimization was a predictive risk factor of later PMPU among adolescents, and sleep problems served as an explanatory mechanism by which cyber victimization predicted adolescents' PMPU over time.

CONCLUSION

These findings contribute to identifying adolescents at risk for engaging in PMPU, as well as the prevention and intervention.

Cybervictimization and non-suicidal self-injury among Chinese adolescents: The effect of depression and school connectedness

Cybervictimization has been shown in many studies to be a risk factor for adolescent non-suicidal self-injurious behavior (NSSI). In this study we tested the roles of depression and school connectedness in this association. The Integrative Model of NSSI, Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Relationship Model of NSSI, and Integrative Model of Social Media and Suicide provided the conceptual framework for the study. A sample of 1106 adolescents (Mage = 13.17; SD = 0.69; 51.78% girls) completed anonymous questionnaires in their classrooms. The results of structural equation modeling showed that the positive association between cybervictimization and adolescent NSSI was mediated by depression. Moreover, this indirect link was stronger for adolescents with low vs. high school connectedness. The results have implications for intervention programs aimed at reducing NSSI among adolescents.

Adolescents' problematic internet and smartphone use in (cyber)bullying experiences: A network analysis

BACKGROUND

This study investigates both offline and online bullying perpetration and victimization in association with problematic internet use (PIU) and problematic smartphone use (PSU), while also considering the related psychosocial difficulties.

METHODS

A total of 3939 adolescents (49.4% boys, aged 13-15 years) from a representative sample of schools in Slovakia was obtained from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) project in 2018. Due to the lack of similar complex research and the expected mutual associations among the constructs, we compared exploratory network models that provided separate estimates for boys and girls.

RESULTS

The constructs formed similarly clustered networks for both genders, with a few notable differences. Unlike PIU, PSU was not associated with bullying experiences in boys or girls; however, PSU and PIU were partially related in girls. Bullying experiences formed a strong cluster in both networks. Two strong bridges were identified, and they are potential candidates for intervention in both boys and girls: first, traditional bullying victimization connected the cluster of bullying experiences to psychosocial difficulties; and, second, frequently missing sleep or meals due to internet use (behavioral salience) that is connected to the bullying cluster with PIU.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings offer an indication for the preventive and interventive work of practitioners who deal with adolescents, as well as complex gender comparisons for the mutual relations of problematic internet and smartphone use, bullying experiences, and the psychosocial difficulties of youth. This study provides evidence that problematic digital media can play a role in bullying experiences irrespective of whether bullying happens offline or online.

School victimization and Internet addiction among Chinese adolescents: The mediating roles of life satisfaction and loneliness

The present study investigated the possibility of life satisfaction and loneliness mediating the link between school victimization and Internet addiction. A total of 3,363 middle/high school students (45% males; M_age  = 15.67 years old, SD = 1.58) completed a series of self-report questionnaires, which included school victimization, life satisfaction, loneliness, and Internet addiction. The findings demonstrated a positive relationship between school victimization and Internet addiction. In addition, life satisfaction and loneliness mediated the link between school victimization and Internet addiction. Overall, these findings contribute to a better understanding of the association between school victimization and Internet addiction. They also extended the GST, providing suggestions for preventing and managing adolescents' Internet addiction.

The role of metacognitions in cyberbullying and cybervictimization among adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders: A case-control study

Cyberbullying is becoming increasingly widespread as individuals use technology more widely and frequently. Recent studies have shown a growing vulnerability for cyberbullying and cybervictimization, particularly in the adolescent population. We argue that dysfunctional metacognitions, which have been found to be prominent in various psychiatric disorders, may also play a role in predicting cyberbullying and cybervictimization over and above a variety of established factors including daily Internet use, social media use, depression and anxiety. For this purpose, we recruited 121 adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 122 adolescents diagnosed with anxiety disorders (AD) from the child and adolescent psychiatric department of 'Çankırı State Hospital' along with age and gender matched healthy controls (n = 120). Participants completed the DSM-5 Depression and Anxiety Severity Scales, the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), the Metacognitions Questionnaire for Children (MCQ-C) and the Revised Cyberbullying Inventory-II (RCBI-II). Cybervictimization scores were found to be higher in the MDD and AD groups when compared with healthy controls. Cyberbullying scores in the MDD group were higher than healthy controls. Additionally, the Superstition, Punishment and Responsibility subdimension of the MCQ-C was a significant predictor of cybervictimization in the AD group while controlling for daily Internet use, social media use and anxiety. However, metacognitions were not associated with cyberbullying in the MDD and AD groups, as well as with cybervictimization in the MDD group. We concluded that dysfunctional metacognitions may be a preventive therapeutic target in reducing the impact of cyberbullying in adolescents with AD.

Cyberbullying victimization and depression: self-esteem as a mediator and approach coping strategies as moderators

Objective: The percentage of victims of cyberbullying among college students seems to increase. However, research on the mechanisms by which cyberbullying victimization (CV) suffer from depression is scarce. This study has purpose to figure out the mediating role of self-esteem (SE) as well as the moderating role of approach coping strategies in the association between CV and depression among Vietnamese college students. Methods: A total of 606 Vietnamese university students completed the Self-Esteem Scale, The Self-Report Coping Scale, The cyberbullying victimization scale, DASS 21. Results: The results indicated that SE partially mediated the relation between CV and depression among Vietnamese college students as well as approach coping strategies moderated the involvement between CV and depression among Vietnamese college students. Conclusions: Our findings can help psychological service providers identify the methods by which cyberbullying sufferers related to depression and provide interventions to reduce depression for cyberbullying victims.

Cyber-Victimization and Mental Health Concerns among Middle School Students Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had significant impacts on adolescents' mental health and social interactions; however, little is known about cyber-victimization and mental health concerns from before to during the pandemic. The current study addressed this gap, while also examining how social media use and disagreements with friends during the pandemic were associated with cyber-victimization and mental health outcomes. Participants included 272 youth in the U.S. (56% female; 32% White), surveyed in fall 2019 (M_age = 11.75, SD = 0.68) and spring 2021 (M_age = 13.11, SD = 0.75). Adolescents reported increases in mental health symptoms and decreases in cyber-victimization. Experiencing more cyber-victimization before the pandemic was associated with significant increases in anxiety, depression, and social stress. The results suggest bolstering violence prevention programming in schools to reduce the likelihood of cyber-victimization and associated mental health outcomes.

Cyberbullying and School Bullying Are Related to Additive Adverse Effects among Adolescents

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to examine whether (a) cyberbullying has unique associations with mental health problems, risk-taking, and self-harm behavior in victims and perpetrators when compared to school bullying and (b) if cyberbullying is associated with an additional burden for students already involved in school bullying.

METHODS

Data were collected from 6,561 students across 23 schools in Germany (grades 5-13). The sample was divided into the following four groups: cyber-only involvement (victims = 1.9%, perpetrators = 0.6%), school-only involvement (victims = 17.2%, perpetrators = 11.9%), dual involvement (victims = 5.7%, perpetrators = 2.9%), and noninvolvement (victims = 75.3%, perpetrators = 84.6%). Multilevel mixed-effects regression analysis was conducted to examine group differences in mental health (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, KIDSCREEN-10), risk-taking, and self-harm behavior (e.g., substance use, suicide attempts).

RESULTS

Cyber-only bullying had unique associations with mental health problems and risk-taking behavior in victims (lower levels of peer relationship problems: p < 0.001, greater substance use: p < 0.05) and perpetrators (higher levels of peer relationship problems: p < 0.05) when compared to school-only bullying. Dual victims and perpetrators reported significantly more mental health problems (victims: χ2(5) = 221.58, p < 0.001; perpetrators: χ2(5) = 116.40, p < 0.001) and were more likely to report risk-taking and self-harm behavior (victims: χ2(7) = 115.15, p < 0.001; perpetrators: χ2(7) = 38.79, p < 0.001) than students involved in school-only bullying.

CONCLUSION

Cyber-only bullying appears to be related to specific mental health issues beyond those associated with school-only bullying. Cyberbullying and school bullying go along with additive mental health problems, risk-taking, and self-harm behavior in both victims and perpetrators. Thus, bullying prevention and intervention programs should also target cyberbullying.

The relationship between parental neglect and cyberbullying perpetration among Chinese adolescent: The sequential role of cyberbullying victimization and internet gaming disorder

Cyberbullying perpetration and victimization have been common public health issues that have impaired the development of adolescent physical and mental health. Abundant research has proven associations between negative parental factors and cyberbullying perpetration. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the impact of parental neglect on cyberbullying and its internal mechanisms. Based on the parental acceptance-rejection theory (PARTheory) and the general aggression model (GAM), the present study constructs a sequential mediation model in which parental neglect is related to adolescent cyberbullying perpetration through cyberbullying victimization and internet gaming disorder (IGD). Using random cluster sampling, a total of 699 middle school students (M _age = 14.18 years, SD = 1.22, and 324 boys) were recruited from five schools in three provinces on mainland China. The participants completed questionnaires regarding parental neglect, cyberbullying perpetration, cyberbullying victimization, and IGD. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that parental neglect was positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration. The mediating effects of cyberbullying victimization and IGD in this relationship are significant both individually and jointly. The current findings have important implications for enlightening families and schools to pay particular attention to adolescents' experiences of parental neglect and provide them with timely feedback and assistance. This will contribute to the prevention and reduction of adolescent involvement in cyberbullying perpetration.

Examining the relationships between cyberbullying, relational victimization, and family support on depressive symptoms and substance use among adolescents

The present study examined whether cyberbullying, relational victimization, and family support were associated with depressive symptoms and substance use among adolescents (N = 1232). A path analysis revealed that cyberbullying, relational victimization, and family support were positively associated with depressive symptoms. Also, cyberbullying and relational victimization was positively related to substance use, whereas family support was not statistically predictive of substance use. This study highlights preventive interventions for cyberbullying, relational victimization, and family support in schools and families.

Variation in the prevalence of different forms of bullying victimisation among adolescents and their associations with family, peer and school connectedness: a population-based study in 40 lower and middle income to high-income countries (LMIC-HICs)

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of different forms of bullying victimization experiences and their association with family functioning, peer relationships and school connectedness among adolescents across 40 lower and middle income to high-income countries (LMIC-HICs). Data were drawn from the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) school-based survey of adolescents aged 11-15 years, between 2013 and 2014. We estimated the weighted prevalence by categorising experiences into traditional bullying victimization only, cyberbullying victimization only, and combined traditional and cyberbullying victimization, at country and country income classification. We used multinominal logistic regression models to estimate the adjusted association with the form of bullying victimization by demographic characteristics, family functioning, peer relationships and school connectedness. Overall, 8.0% reported traditional bullying victimization only (8.8% males, 7.4% females), 2.3% of adolescents reported cyberbullying victimization only (2.1% males, 2.2% females), and 1.7% reported combined traditional and cyber bullying victimization (1.7% males, 1.8% females). All three forms of bullying victimization during adolescence were significantly associated with poor family functioning, poor peer relations and poor school connectedness. A consistent finding is that traditional bullying victimization is considerably more common among adolescents across both LMICs and HICs than cyberbullying victimization. This study also demonstrated that a significant proportion of adolescent's experience victimization in both forms. Positive family functioning, strong peer relationships and greater school connectedness are associated with a lower risk of both forms of bullying victimization.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-022-00451-8.

Are Perceived Executive Functions Beneficial for Adolescents Who Experience Peer Victimization?

Peer victimization can lead to dysfunctional cognitions and numerous internalizing psychological problems. Thus, it is essential to identify factors that can moderate the impact of victimization. This study aimed to analyze the potential moderating role of perceived executive functions (PEF) in the impact of peer victimization (traditional and online) on internalizing symptoms (depression and social anxiety), early maladaptive schemas (disconnection/rejection domain), and PEF in adolescents. A two-wave longitudinal study was carried out with 680 Spanish adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age (M = 14.58, SD = 1.36; 41.18% girls). Participants completed measures of self-reported executive functions, traditional and online victimization, early maladaptive schemas of the disconnection/rejection domain, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety symptoms in waves 1 and 2. Traditional and online perpetration was completed only in wave 1. The results indicated that when PEF were high (i.e., adolescents perceive that they have good executive functions), traditional and online victimization predicted more schemas of the disconnection/rejection domain and internalizing symptoms of depression and social anxiety. In non-victims, high PEF showed a protective role in the development of depressive symptoms and schemas of the disconnection/rejection domain. The findings highlight that PEF have a protective role that disappears when victimization (traditional and online) occurs.

Cyberbullying and internet gaming disorder in Chinese youth: The role of positive youth development attributes

Introduction

As digital natives, young people enjoy the convenience and benefits of the internet but also suffer from unique developmental problems of this age, such as cyberbullying and internet gaming disorder (IGD). Research suggests that these online problem behaviors enjoy high prevalence and various negative impacts. To prevent or intervene, this study attempts to explore the association between cyberbullying and IGD and the potential protectors from the positive youth development (PYD) perspective.

Methods

Through the convenience sampling method, a sample of 463 Chinese adolescents was recruited and participated in the survey. They completed a questionnaire regarding PYD attributes, cyberbullying, IGD, and demographic information.

Results

After controlling adolescents' sex and age, results of regression analyses indicated that cyberbullying was positively associated with IGD; PYD attributes had negative cumulative effects on cyberbullying and IGD; and cyberbullying and IGD were negatively related to PYD attributes. Moreover, the mediating effect of PYD attributes was significant in the relationship between cyberbullying and IGD.

Discussion

Specifically, it is very possible for adolescents who have experienced one online problem behavior to suffer from another one. Fortunately, positive personal attributes could effectively buffer this cascading effect. These findings may provide theoretical and practical guidance for practitioners that improving PYD attributes may be a promising approach to prevent or reduce adolescent cyberbullying and IGD.

Cyberbullying involvement, parental support, and cannabis use among adolescents

BACKGROUND

Cyberbullying victimization has been associated with cannabis use among adolescents. However, it is unclear if this relationship also holds for cyberbullying perpetrators.

OBJECTIVE

This cross-sectional study examined the association between cyberbullying involvement and cannabis use among adolescents and tested if parental support was associated with cyberbullying involvement and cannabis use.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Data from 7229 students aged 11-20 years were obtained from the 2019 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a province-wide survey of middle and high school students across Ontario, Canada.

METHODS

Participants self-reported their cannabis use frequency, their involvement in cyberbullying, and their perception of parental support. Cyberbullying involvement was operationalized as an action taking place at least two times. Multivariable logistic regression models were adjusted for age, sex, ethnoracial background, and subjective socioeconomic status.

RESULTS

Overall, 8.6 % of students were cyberbullying victims only, 2 % were cyberbullying perpetrators only, and 2.8 % were both cyberbullying victims and perpetrators. Results showed that experience of cyberbullying victimization only (OR: 2.17; 95 % CI: 1.64-2.88), perpetration only (OR: 2.64; 95 % CI: 1.51-4.63), or both (OR: 3.34; 95 % CI: 2.12-5.28) was associated with greater odds of cannabis use. Results further indicated that higher parental support was associated with lower odds of cannabis use in a dose-response fashion. Higher parental support was also associated with a lower risk of cyberbullying involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that involvement in cyberbullying in any role is associated with greater cannabis use among adolescents and that parental support is associated with less cannabis use and cyberbullying involvement.

Association of Cyberbullying and Internet Use Disorder

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to critically assess the published studies on the relationship between cyberbullying and internet use disorder (IUD), and propose directions for further study.

Recent Findings

There were only four prospective studies out of thirty-two reviewed studies conducted since 2004, with only one prospective study conducted during the past 5 years. The field of study has been stagnant during the past 5 years with the vast majority of studies conducted on primary or secondary education and failing to address cyberbullying and IUD in social media and online gaming.

Summary

Cyberbullying and IUD have been described since the nineties, yet there are still significant issues with their definition and research. Lately, both these problematic behaviors are sharing the same environments in social media and online gaming. This critical appraisal of published research examined thirty-two published peer-reviewed studies carried out since 2004. Findings indicate a number of significant issues including an overreliance on cross-sectional study design, near-exclusive focus on primary and secondary education students, widespread employment of unstandardized measures for cyberbullying and IUD, and lack of assessment for objective measures of psychological distress. Directions for future research are offered.

Bullying perpetration and victimization associations to suicide behavior: a longitudinal study

Previous studies have reported a longitudinal association between cybervictimization and suicidal thoughts and behavior. However, the relationship between cyber-perpetration and prospective suicide risk remains unclear. The sample was composed of 2150 at-risk adolescents (mean age 15.42), enrolled in Vocational Education and Training high schools in Israel. Cyberbullying, traditional bullying, depression, hostility, serious suicidal ideations, and suicide attempts were assessed through self-report questionnaires at the beginning of the school year and one year later. All types of victimization and preparation were cross-sectionally associated with suicide ideation and attempts. Longitudinal associations were found between cyber-perpetration and suicidal ideation/attempts. Cyber-perpetrators were found to be over twice more likely to report serious suicidal ideation (OR = 2.04) or attempt suicide (OR = 2.64) in the subsequent year compared to noninvolved adolescents. These associations were significant even after adjusting for baseline depression, hostility, and traditional bullying. Traditional bullying perpetration was prospectively associated with suicide attempts. Traditional victimization was cross-sectionally associated with suicide ideation and attempts but not prospectively. Cybervictimization was prospectively associated with suicide ideation but not to suicide attempts. The findings demonstrate the prospective risk of involvement in bullying in regard to suicide ideation and behavior. Cyberbullying was found to be a somewhat differentiated phenomena from traditional bullying.

Participant Role Behavior in Cyberbullying: an Examination of Moral Disengagement Among College Students

The current study examined the role of moral disengagement in cyberbullying participant role behavior among college-aged individuals. Participants included 434 students who completed surveys measuring their participation in cyberbullying, including online bystander role behaviors, as well as their moral disengagement. Regression analysis results indicated that moral disengagement was positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration, cyberbullying victimization, passive bystanding online behavior, and reinforcing online behavior. The current study furthers knowledge on the associations between online bullying-related behavior and moral disengagement and could lead to necessary cyberbullying prevention and intervention support for young adults.

Online Hate Speech Victimization and Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents: The Protective Role of Resilience

Online hate speech has become a widespread problem in the daily life of adolescents. Despite growing societal and academic interest in this online risk, not much is known about the relationship between online hate speech victimization (OHSV) and adolescents' mental well-being. In addition, potential factors influencing the magnitude of this relationship remain unclear. To address these gaps in the literature, this study investigated the relationship between OHSV and depressive symptoms and the buffering effects of resilience in this relationship. The sample consists of 1,632 adolescents (49.1% girls) between 12 and 18 years old (M_age = 13.83, SD_age = 1.23), recruited from nine schools across Spain. Self-report questionnaires were administered to assess OHSV, depressive symptoms, and resilience. Regression analyses revealed that OHSV was positively linked to depressive symptoms. In addition, victims of online hate speech were less likely to report depressive symptoms when they reported average or high levels of resilience (i.e., social competence, personal competence, structured style, social resources, and family cohesion) compared with those with low levels of resilience. Our findings highlight the need for the development of intervention programs and the relevance of focusing on internal and external developmental assets to mitigate negative outcomes for victims of online hate speech.

Cyber-bullying research in Kenya: a meta-analysis

Purpose

Cyber-bullying is a form of harassment that is perpetrated using electronic media. The practice has become increasingly common especially with the growing ubiquity of social media platforms. Most cyber-bullying cases inevitably occur on Facebook because it is the most preferred social media platform. However, little is known about cyber-bullying research in Kenya. This paper aims to analyse the quantity, quality, visibility and authorship trends of scholarly publications on cyber-bullying from and/or about Kenya.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was conducted as a systematic literature review. A meta-analysis approach was used. Bibliometrics approaches were used to conduct the analysis. Data on the publications was collected from Google Scholar using Harzing's “Publish or Perish” software and then analysed and presented using Microsoft Excel, Notepad and VOSviewer.

Findings

The study yielded 359 research publications on cyber-bullying in Kenya. There was a gradual increment in the number of publications, peaking in 2018. Nearly half of the publications have not been cited indicating low uptake of research on cyber-bullying in Kenya. It also emerged that most of the research has been published on subscription channels thereby restricting their visibility, access and use. Minimal collaboration in research on cyber-bullying in Kenya was also observed since 67.4% of the publications were written by a single (one) author. The authors conclude that the quantity, quality and visibility of research on cyber-bullying in Kenya is low.

Originality/value

This is an empirical study. The findings can be used to promote and mainstream research on cyber-bullying in Kenya.

Cyberbullying victimisation among adolescents in China: Coping strategies and the role of self-compassion

Coping strategies have the ability to reduce immediate and long-term stress from cyberbullying experiences. This study compares the perceptions of cyberbullying victims and non-victims in relation to the coping strategies for different types of cyberbullying victimisation. A group of 1,339 Chinese adolescents from vocational schools in Jiangxi province participated in the study. Effects of demographic factors, cyberbullying victimisation and self-compassion on coping strategies were computed with logistic regression analysis. Results showed that cyberbullying victims indicated a stronger preference towards doing nothing, or to rely on themselves, instead of seeking help. Both victims and non-victims indicated 'Asking a parent/family for help' as the first choice across all victimisation types. The effects of self-compassion on coping with cyberbullying were found to be significant. This study provides evidence that can be used to enhance policy and practice for effectively enabling parents and professionals' involvement in cyberbullying intervention. Cyberbullying prevention programs should therefore arm parents with the knowledge to provide support to, and strengthen self-compassion of children, to modulate positive coping emotions and cyber behaviour.

Understanding the Perpetuation of Cyberbullying Victimization in Adolescents: The Role of Executive Functions

The consequences of cyberbullying victimization can lead to its perpetuation over time, initiating a vicious cycle. Thus, it is important to identify the factors that contribute to the persistence of victimization. This study aimed to examine some longitudinal mechanisms involved in the perpetuation of cyberbullying victimization in adolescents. The secondary aim was to study the protective role of executive functions (cognitive flexibility and selective attention) in this process, filling a gap in the literature. Sex differences were also studied. The sample consisted of 698 adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age (M = 14.59, SD = 1.36; 40.83% girls) from the Basque Country (Spain). Adolescents participated in a longitudinal study with three waves, in which 5–6 months elapsed between waves. The participants completed measures of executive functions in wave 1, of cyberbullying perpetration and depressive symptoms in waves 1 and 2, and of cyberbullying victimization in all three waves. The findings indicated that cyberbullying victimization was perpetuated through an increase of cyberbullying perpetration and depressive symptoms. Concerning executive functions, cognitive flexibility attenuated the impact of cyberbullying victimization on cyberbullying perpetration and depressive symptoms, and these in turn predicted lower levels of future victimization. Sex differences revealed that selective attention acted as a risk factor for cyberbullying victimization in girls and as a protective factor in boys. The results highlight the importance of considering mediating mechanisms involved in the perpetuation of cyberbullying victimization as well as the beneficial role played by cognitive flexibility in reducing the stability of cyberbullying victimization.

Personality Traits and Cyberbullying Perpetration Among Chinese University Students: The Moderating Role of Internet Self-Efficacy and Gender

Cyberbullying is a serious global problem that affects many teenagers and university students. Recent studies have explored the relationship between personality traits and cyberbullying, but the mechanism needs further research. This paper examines the impact of personality traits on cyberbullying perpetration of Chinese university students and the moderating role of Internet self-efficacy (ISE) and gender. By random cluster sampling, 549 university students (45.7% boys) participated in filling out the self-report questionnaires. The results revealed: (1) conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness were significantly negatively correlated with cyberbullying perpetration. (2) The stratified regression showed that ISE moderated the relation between agreeableness and cyberbullying. Gender moderated the relationship between agreeableness and cyberbullying, and openness and cyberbullying.

Conceptual Application of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Treat Victims of Bullying

Bullying is a critical pediatric public health problem; estimates across diverse methodologies generally indicate that roughly 36% of youth are bullied. Although policy initiatives aim to address the universal prevention of bullying, and school-level secondary prevention programs aim to reduce the occurrence of bullying, tertiary prevention and intervention programs that mitigate the negative consequences experienced by victims of bullying remain an understudied need. The nature of bullying (that it occurs as events, leaves children feeling unsafe, and engenders emotional distress) and the association of bullying with posttraumatic stress symptoms among youth suggests that trauma treatment for bullying is promising. This manuscript presents the rationale for treating victims of bullying with trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), describes the components of TF-CBT, and discusses how to use TF-CBT specifically for bullying. Conducting research on treatment outcomes when using TF-CBT for bullying is critical to evaluate its efficacy and effectiveness in this group. Behavioral clinical trials would provide evidence for whether TF-CBT reduces the mental health harm experienced by youth victims of bullying. This evidence is an essential step to address the public health problem of bullying because the scientific literature currently does not have a well-established individual-level treatment for victims of bullying that mental health providers in diverse settings can deliver, despite individuals' beliefs that health care providers are important sources of help for youth who have been bullied.

Cyberbullying perpetration and victimisation amongst adolescent psychiatric patients at Lentegeur Hospital, South Africa

Background

Cyberbullying is a type of harassment that is perpetrated or experienced by a person or groups of persons via the use of electronic devices, and it frequently occurs amongst young people. Research has shown that cyberbullying is associated with psychiatric comorbidity, which could indicate a need for screening adolescents who present for mental health services.

Aim

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of cyberbullying amongst adolescents. The secondary aim was to determine the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 psychiatric diagnoses associated with cyberbullying.

Setting

Lentegeur Hospital Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 97 participants (sampled from both inpatient and outpatient services) between the ages of 13 years and 18 years. Adolescent assent and parental consent were obtained. Demographic and clinical data were collected from patient folders, and the Revised Cyber Bullying Inventory II was used to assess cyberbullying behaviours.

Results

The overall prevalence rate of some form of cyberbullying in this sample was 56.7%, of which 6.2% were cyberbullies, 20.6% were cyber-victims and 29.9% were cyberbullies and cyber-victims. Female participants were more likely to be involved in cyberbullying than males. The most prevalent primary psychiatric diagnoses in adolescents involved in cyberbullying included major depressive disorder (72.4%), schizophrenia (57.1%) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (22%). There was no significant association between cyberbullying and any psychiatric diagnoses.

Conclusion

The high prevalence rate of adolescents involved in cyberbullying suggests that this behaviour is a cause for concern in the South African population. More screening and treatment programmes should be implemented to address this issue.

COVID-19 Information Overload and Cyber Aggression during the Pandemic Lockdown: The Mediating Role of Depression/Anxiety and the Moderating Role of Confucian Responsibility Thinking

Many countries adopted lockdown measures to curb the spread of the outbreak in 2020, while information about COVID-19 has dominated various media outlets, which has led to information overload for people. However, previous research has mainly focused on cancer information overload and the corresponding consequence, and failed to examine its adverse effects in the context of major public health events. Based on the Frustrate Aggression Theory and the Scapegoat Theory, the present study established a moderated mediation model to investigate the emotional and behavioral outcomes of COVID-19 information overload. The mediating role of depression/anxiety in the association between COVID-19 information overload and cyber aggression, as well as the moderating role of Confucian responsibility thinking, were tested. This model was examined with 1005 Chinese people (mean age = 26.91 years, SD = 9.94) during the COVID-19 outbreak. Mediation analyses revealed that COVID-19 information overload was positively related to cyber aggression, depression, and anxiety, parallelly and partially mediated this relationship. Moderated mediation analyses further indicated that Confucian responsibility thinking not only moderated the direct link between COVID-19 information overload and cyber aggression, with the effect being significant only for people with a low level of Confucian responsibility thinking, but also moderated the relationship between COVID-19 information overload and depression/anxiety respectively, with the associations being much more potent for individuals with low levels of Confucian responsibility thinking. These findings have the potential to inform the development of prevention and intervention programs designed to reduce the negative emotions and cyber aggression associated with information overload in public health events.

Adolescent Social Media Use: Pitfalls and Promises in Relation to Cybervictimization, Friend Support, and Depressive Symptoms

The saturation of social media use in adolescents' lives has raised questions about both the risks and positive outcomes that may be associated with use. This study filled this gap by examining longitudinal associations among active social media use and depressive symptoms for male and female adolescents and the mediating role of friend support and cybervictimization. These relations were investigated in a sample of 800 13-15-year-old (M = 14.45) adolescents (57% female, 81% White) across four waves of data over two years. The results indicated that higher levels of active social media use led to reduced depressive symptoms for female adolescents, while active social media use predicted more cybervictimization for male adolescents. In contrast, cybervictimization predicted higher levels of active social media use for female adolescents. Friend support predicted more active social media use for male and female adolescents. Overall, findings reveal a complex picture of social media use for both male and female adolescents and further research is needed which examines types of social media use and their associations with both online and offline experiences.

Is There a Relationship Between Youth Bullying and Internet Addiction? An Integrative Review

Youth bullying is a global public health problem; Internet addiction is on the rise globally among youths. Because the linkage between these behaviors has not been clearly explicated, this integrative review evaluated the relevant empirical evidence. A search of five electronic databases identified 2,761 original citations published between January 2000 and May 2019. After further abstract screening and detailed evaluation of 262 full-text articles, the final sample consisted of 14 prospective descriptive studies representing 10 countries. Review results clearly established that the relationship between bullying and Internet addiction is firmly supported; less is known as to the contribution of gender, age, and other demographic variables, their impact on health outcomes, problematic behaviors, and the role of parental mediation. Inconsistent definitions and instrumentation and lack of sophisticated study designs limited the synthesis of findings. Future research is needed to explicate these relationships, so data-driven interventions can be developed.

The Association Between Cyberbullying Victimization and Suicidal Ideation Among Chinese College Students: The Parallel Mediating Roles of Core Self-Evaluation and Depression

With the rapid development of science and technology, the Internet has formed a new form of aggression, which is called cyberbullying. Many studies have demonstrated that cyberbullying can cause serious damage to the physical and mental health of Chinese college students, such as depression and suicide. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation and the parallel mediating roles of core self-evaluation and depression. A questionnaire was used to measure the research variables in this study among 1,509 college students. The results indicated that: After controlling for participants' gender, age, family structure, and family economic status, cyberbullying victimization significantly and positively related to suicidal ideation. Core self-evaluation and depression separately mediated the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation. The mediating effect of depression was stronger than that of core self-evaluation. The findings support a parallel mediation model of the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation. Our study may help to develop interventions and prevention measures for college students who experienced cyberbullying victimization.