Cyberbullying and suicide ideation among Hong Kong adolescents: The mitigating effects of life satisfaction with family, classmates and academic results

The relationship between cyberbullying perpetration/victimization and suicidal ideation in healthy young adults: the indirect effects of positive and negative psychotic experiences

BACKGROUND

Even though not all cyber bullies or victims think of (or consider) suicide, they clearly appear to be at an increased risk. One possible strategy to reduce suicide risk is to decrease cyberbullying occurrence; but this approach has its limitations, as it is certainly an illusion to believe that cyberbullying could be controlled or eliminated in a digitalized world. Another alternative and interesting strategy is to consider mediating factors that may indirectly affect suicidality. To this end, our purpose was to test the hypothesis that positive and negative psychotic experiences (PEs) mediate the relationship from cyberbullying perpetration/victimization to suicidal ideation (SI).

METHOD

The study followed a cross-sectional design, and was conducted during the period from June to September 2022. A total of 3103 healthy community participants from Lebanon were included (mean age 21.73 ± 3.80 years, 63.6% females).

RESULTS

After adjusting over potential confounders, mediation analysis models showed that both positive and negative PEs partially mediated the associations between cyberbullying victimization/perpetration and SI. Higher cyberbullying perpetration and victimization were significantly associated with greater positive and negative PEs; more severe positive and negative PEs were significantly associated with higher levels of SI. Higher cyberbullying victimization and perpetration were significantly and directly associated with higher levels of SI.

CONCLUSION

In light of our preliminary findings, there appears to be an urgent need for a new focus on carefully assessing and addressing attenuated psychotic symptoms in healthy individuals engaged in cyberbullying either as victims or bullies and who present with SI. It is important that school counselors and decision-makers consider a holistic approach taking into account both external/environmental (bullying) and internal/individual (PEs) factors in their suicide prevention programs. Future longitudinal research in larger samples are still required to confirm our findings and further elucidate the mechanisms underlying the relationship between cyberbullying and suicide.

Associations between problematic internet use, life satisfaction, and deliberate self-harm among Chinese adolescents: A multi-centered longitudinal study

INTRODUCTION

Problematic Internet use (PIU), which is associated with deliberate self-harm (DSH), has become a common problem among adolescents. Life satisfaction (LS) may be able to mitigate the negative influences of PIU and DSH. But the longitudinal associations among them are yet to be well-researched.

METHODS

A longitudinal study with three-wave data collection involving 6092 adolescents was carried out in China. PIU, LS, and DSH were assessed using the Young Internet Addiction Test, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory Nine-Item Version, respectively. A cross-lagged model was used to analyze the longitudinal interactions between them. Generalized Estimating Equations were adopted to identify their influential factors.

RESULTS

The prevalence of single DSH behaviors from wave 1 to wave 3 was 5.04%, 5.00%, and 4.67%, and the repeated DHS from wave 1 to wave 3 was 2.9%, 3.2%, and 3.4%, respectively. Bidirectional longitudinal predictive associations were revealed between PIU and LS (p＜0.001), and LS and DSH (p＜0.001). DSH could longitudinally predict PIU (p＜0.001). Gender and age were associated with PIU, LS, and DSH (p＜0.001), and PIU was influenced by ethnicity (p＜0.001).

CONCLUSION

PIU and LS, LS and DSH were associated bidirectionally. Adolescents with more severe DSH behaviors were inclined to become addicted to the Internet, and adolescents with a history of DSH had a higher risk of recurring DSH. Parents, schools, and administrators need to improve the LS of adolescents, with a particular focus on older, female adolescents.

I can see (myself) clearly now: Exploring the mediating role of self-concept clarity in the association between self-compassion and indicators of well-being

Is there a connection between loving oneself, knowing oneself, and mental well-being? Self-compassion-a construct that consists of self-kindness, acknowledgment of common humanity, and mindfulness-is associated with numerous positive outcomes including indicators of mental well-being. However, little research exists exploring the mechanism(s) by which self-compassion operates to influence these outcomes. It is possible that self-concept clarity, or the extent to which one's self-beliefs are clearly defined and stable, acts as such a mechanism. In the current study, we explored the mediating role of self-concept clarity in the associations between self-compassion and three indicators of mental well-being: perceived stress, depressive symptomatology, and life satisfaction. Self-compassion was significantly associated with each of the three indicators of well-being. Additionally, self-concept clarity statistically mediated the relationships between self-compassion and depressive symptomatology, perceived stress, and satisfaction with life. The results of this study suggest a potential mechanism by which self-compassion is associated with greater well-being.

Is internet gaming disorder associated with suicidal behaviors among the younger generation? Multiple logistic regressions on a large-scale purposive sampling survey

The ubiquity of Internet gaming as part of the younger generation's (11-35 year-olds) lifestyle to-day warrants a deeper understanding of its impact on their mental health. In particular, there has been scant research investigating the link between Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and suicidal behaviors in this demographic group, even though several mental health symptoms of the former are known risk factors for the latter. This paper aims to establish the presence or absence of association between IGD and each of suicidal ideation, self-harm, and suicide attempt among the younger generation. A large-scale online survey on Internet gamers in Hong Kong was conducted in February 2019. 3430 respondents were recruited through purposive sampling. Study samples were stratified into distinct age groups and multiple logistic regression was conducted for each measured suicidal behavior in each age group. After controlling for sociodemographics, Internet usage, self-reported bullying perpetration and bullying victimization, social withdrawal, and self-reported psychiatric diagnoses such as depression and psychosis, analyses revealed that adolescent (11-17 year-old) gamers with IGD were more likely than their peers who had no IGD to have had suicidal ideation, self-harm, and suicide attempt in their lifetime. These associations did not hold for 18-35 year-old gamers. Findings suggest that it may be prudent to recognize IGD as a growing public mental health priority for the young populace, particularly adolescents. Existing suicide prevention efforts can be complemented through screening adolescents for IGD, and could be expanded to online gaming platforms to reach more hidden at-risk individuals.

Nursing Intervention for Preventing Cyberbullying and Reducing Its Negative Impact on Students: A Scoping Review

Cyberbullying Prevalence of cyberbullying has increased every year on students as the most internet users. The negative impact of cyberbullying are anxiety, depression, and risk of suicide. Nurses have role to reduce the negative impact of cyberbullying on students. The aim of the study to describe the method of nursing interventions to prevent and reduce the negative impact of cyberbullying on students. This study used Scoping Review method. Articles from CINAHL, PubMed, and ProQuest databases. The keywords used in English are cyberbullying OR cyber-victimizations, nursing intervention, and students. The inclusion criteria were full text, randomized control trial or quasi-experimental design, sample was students, and articles publication period last 10 years (2013-2022). Based on the initial research, 11 articles were found that were relevant with the research objectives from 678 studies. The range of samples is 35-2771 respondents from elementary school to college students. Most of the samples in this study are from developed countries, there are USA, Spain, and Italy. There are three methods of nursing interventions, namely online programs, school-based programs and Social Competence Programs. Nursing interventions are focused on increasing resilience to build students' awareness of cyberbullying, and increasing resilience and adaptive coping in reducing the negative effects of cyberbullying. Then, the school-based program method is the most effective method in preventing and reducing the negative effects of cyberbullying because it comprehensively involves teachers, students, nurses, and parents to collaborate in carrying out nursing interventions.

Cyberbullying among college students in a Chinese population: Prevalence and associated clinical correlates

Objectives

Cyberbullying is quite common in adolescents and college students, and it influences mental health in many aspects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of cyberbullying in Chinese college students and to look for related factors.

Methods

Eight thousand and ninety-eight college students aged 17-26 were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. We collected information of their sociodemographic data, depression (evaluated by Self-Rating Depression Scale), anxiety (evaluated by Self-Rating Anxiety Scale), lifetime suicidal behaviors (including suicidal ideation, suicidal plans, and suicide attempts), and experiences of cyberbullying for the past 12 months by online questionnaires.

Results

The prevalence of cyberbullying for the past 12 months was 7.82% (633/8,098) among college students. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that sex (odds ratio, OR = 0.522, 95%CI = 0.433-0.629, p < 0.001), suicide attempts (OR = 2.164, 95%CI = 1.589-2.948, p < 0.001), depression (OR = 2.372, 95%CI = 1.602-3.512, p < 0.001), and anxiety (OR = 1.911, 95%CI = 1.305-2.800, p = 0.001) were independently associated with cyberbullying.

Conclusion

Cyberbullying is very common among college students in Hunan Province, China. Besides, being male, suicide attempts, depression and anxiety were independently associated with cyberbullying, which highlights the importance of paying attention to cyberbullying and addressing anxiety, depression, and suicidal behaviors among college students to better improve their mental health and prevent suicide.

A Longitudinal Network Analysis of the Interactions of Risk and Protective Factors for Suicidal Potential in Early Adolescents

Few studies have applied the "ideation-to-action" theories and the buffering hypothesis of resilience to suicide in early adolescents, and existing research is primarily cross-sectional. This study examined the interactions between risk factors (i.e., thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and hopelessness), protective factors (i.e., resilience, self-efficacy, and subjective happiness), and suicidal potential (i.e., family distress, anxious-impulsive depression, and suicidal ideation or acts) in early adolescents. The participants (N = 1615; 55.6% females; M _age = 10.93, SD _age = 1.14, range: 9-15) who were recruited from four primary and four secondary schools in Hong Kong completed the survey in 2020 and 2021. The contemporaneous networks suggested that perceived burdensomeness and hopelessness were positively associated with suicidal potential. Protective factors were negatively associated with risk factors studied and suicidal potential. The node with the greatest centrality strength was anxious-impulsive depression. The nodes most likely to connect with other constructs were self-efficacy and hopelessness. A temporal network suggested the predictive effect of hopelessness and the protective effect of subjective happiness on future suicidal ideation or acts. Moreover, self-efficacy was found to buffer the impact of hopelessness on future suicidal ideation or acts. These findings highlighted the contribution of hopelessness to suicidal potential among early adolescents and the buffering effects of subjective happiness and self-efficacy.

Investigating the relationship between bullying involvement and self-harmful thoughts and behaviour in young people: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

There is a complex and inconsistent relationship between bullying involvement and self-harmful thoughts and behaviour (SHTB) in young people. This novel systematic review aims to establish key interacting, moderating and mediating variables associated with SHTB in young people involved in bullying.

METHODS

The systematic review was registered with PROSPERO: CRD42020192023. A search was conducted (until February 2021) across databases: PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO (Ovid), Cochrane Library, Scopus (Elsevier), Web of Science, ERIC and CINAHL (EBSCOhost). Observational studies containing quantitative primary or secondary data analyses were included in the review, on the basis that they examined interactions, moderators, or mediators between bullying involvement and SHTB in young people. Versions of the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were used to assess risk of bias in the included studies.

RESULTS

A total of 57 studies were included. Overall, 3 studies identified interactions, 25 studies identified moderators and 21 studies identified mediators. 9 studies identified moderator-mediators. The findings were categorised as either self-harmful thoughts or self-harmful behaviours and synthesised under the following themes: socio-demographic; depression; parental; personality/psychological; and social/environmental.

LIMITATIONS

This review uncovered significant heterogeneity and a paucity of replicated studies in the field, therefore, tentative conclusions have been drawn.

CONCLUSIONS

This comprehensive review highlights the key role of depression as a mediator between traditional/cyber victimisation and SHTB in young people. The moderating effects of gender on mediation models investigating the role of depression suggest the possibility that females involved in bullying may be at increased suicide risk.

Association between Frequency of Conversations and Suicidal Ideation among Medical Students during COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, universities in Japan shifted from face-to-face to online classes, which might have reduced social interaction and increased psychiatric problems among students. A self-report questionnaire was administered to fourth-year medical students in Tokyo in May 2021, during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, to examine the association between the frequency of conversations and suicidal thoughts. The questionnaire assessed the frequency of conversations and, using part of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, suicidal ideation. Of the 113 students, 98 (86.7%) responded, of whom 20 (20.4%) had suicidal ideation. Poisson regression analysis revealed that those with less than 1 conversation per week and no conversations at all had a significantly higher risk of suicidal ideation than those with 3 conversations per week or more, after adjusting for personality, family relationship, income level, living alone, number of friends, gender, and age. These results indicate that less frequent conversations increased the risk of suicidal ideation among medical students. Mental health support for students needs to be strengthened if universities suspend face-to-face classes during a pandemic.

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.

Teasing and Internet Harassment among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Envy and the Moderating Role of the Zhong-Yong Thinking Style

Extant research studies have documented that teen victims of traditional bullying are more likely to be perpetrators of Internet harassment. Teasing is a typical form of verbal bullying, but, unfortunately, its link with Internet harassment perpetration has rarely been investigated to date. Therefore, this study constructed two moderated mediation models to explore the relation between weight-related/competency-related teasing (the two main types of teasing) and Internet harassment, and whether these associations are mediated by envy and moderated by the Zhong-Yong thinking style. A total of 1811 Chinese adolescents (M_age = 13.22 years, SD = 0.97) were investigated to examine the two models. The results clarified that: (1) weight-related/competency-related teasing was positively predictive of adolescent Internet harassment; (2) envy acted a partially mediating role in the associations between weight-related/competency-related teasing and Internet harassment; (3) the Zhong-Yong thinking style not only moderated the link between weight-related/competency-related teasing and envy, with the effect being more profound for a high-level Zhong-Yong thinking style possessed by adolescents, but also moderated the direct link between competency-related teasing and Internet harassment, with the relation being more potent when the level of Zhong-Yong thinking style was low. Nevertheless, the direct link between weight-related teasing and Internet harassment was not moderated by the Zhong-Yong thinking style. These findings are important to comprehend the psychological mechanisms linking weight-related/competency-related teasing to Internet harassment, and provide some enlightenment for preventing and intervening in adolescent Internet harassment perpetration.

Fighting Bullying and Cyberbullying

The Internet's design and raison d'être are complete freedom, but complete freedom might lead to anarchy and to harmful and anti-social activities. In this paper I address the concepts of moral and social responsibility, applying them to the Internet realm in considering the most troubling phenomenon of cyberbullying that results in loss of life. Specifically, I probe the moral and social responsibilities of Internet users (agents), of parents and of the education system in fighting cyberbullying. Balance needs to be struck between two most important principles: freedom of expression and social responsibility. Illustrative examples in which this disturbing and harmful phenomenon of cyberbullying had cost young life are mentioned. It is argued that all relevant stakeholders need to think of the consequences of their conduct, that Internet abusers should be accountable for their wrongdoing and be penalized, and that people who have the ability to stop or at least reduce the risk of cyberbullying should take proactive steps, exhibiting zero tolerance to cyberbullying.

Life Satisfaction and Suicidal Ideation Among Chinese College Students During the Recurrent Outbreak of COVID-19: A Moderated Mediation Model

The present study examined a moderated mediation model between life satisfaction and suicidal ideation among Chinese college students during the recurrent outbreak of COVID-19. Seven hundred and ninety college students participated in the study and completed questionnaires on life satisfaction, suicidal ideation, depression, and gratitude. Findings indicated that (1) Depression played a partial mediating role between life satisfaction and suicidal ideation. Life satisfaction was not only directly affected suicidal ideation, but also indirectly affected suicidal ideation through the mediating effect of college students' depression; (2) Gratitude played a moderating role in the effect of life satisfaction on depression, and the link between life satisfaction and suicide ideation was only significant for those with higher gratitude. This study provides practical implications for the prevention of suicidal behavior among Chinese college students during the recurrent outbreak of COVID-19.

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.

Systematic review of risk and protective factors for suicidal and self-harm behaviors among children and adolescents involved with cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is associated with increased risk of suicidal and self-harm behaviors in children and adolescents. However, no review to date has explored factors that exacerbate and mitigate this relationship. This systematic review concerns research on factors that influence the impact of cyberbullying on suicidal and self-harm behaviors. Four bibliographic databases were explored and references in included articles were searched. We identified 727 articles and retained 66 that met inclusion criteria. Research has identified multiple risk factors which have been associated with increased suicide risk in general (mental health problems, substance abuse, loneliness, stress, sexual orientation/gender identity issues and violent behaviors). Others risk factors more specific to cyberbullying were: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual and Developmental Disorders, obesity, having asthma and severity of cyberbullying. Fewer studies concern protective factors. School connectedness, restrictive style of parenting, parental support, life satisfaction, having a healthy diet, personal skills and having family dinners were associated with less risk of suicidal and self-harm behaviors following cyberbullying. These protective factors suggest prevention strategies to reduce the impacts of cyberbullying by teaching better personal skills, promoting school social connections and proposing family interventions. More research is needed including exploration of the differential impacts of different forms of cyberbullying, and evaluations of the impacts of programs to increase personal skills, improve family relationships and foster school connectedness to reducing suicidal and self-harm behaviors in this vulnerable population.

Ideação suicida e fatores associados entre estudantes de ensino médio e superior: uma análise hierarquizada

RESUMO Objetivo Estimar a prevalência e analisar os fatores associados à ideação suicida em estudantes de ensino médio e superior. Métodos Estudo epidemiológico, transversal, analítico, realizado em Montes Claros, MG, Brasil. Para a coleta de dados, aplicou-se um questionário contendo questões relativas às características sociodemográficas, escolares, ocupacionais e de estilo de vida, e às condições socioafetivas e psíquicas. Investigou-se a ideação suicida por meio de um item do Inventário de Depressão de Beck. Na análise de dados, efetuou-se estatística descritiva das variáveis e a Regressão Logística hierarquizada para avaliar os fatores associados à ideação suicida. Resultados Constatou-se prevalência de ideação suicida de 11,6% entre estudantes do ensino médio e de 9,8% no ensino superior. No ensino médio, os fatores associados foram: sexo feminino (RO: 2,14; IC 95%: 1,39-3,27), uso de drogas (RO: 3,25; IC 95%: 1,40-7,52), consumo de álcool (RO: 2,50; IC 95%: 1,54-4,04), sentimento de raiva e hostilidade (RO: 1,73; IC 95%: 1,05-2,87) e síndrome de burnout (RO: 2,27; IC 95%: 1,31-3,95). No ensino superior, identificaram-se os fatores: ausência de companheiro (RO: 2,19; IC 95%: 1,68-4,14), turno de estudo noturno (RO: 0,51; IC 95%: 0,36-0,72), consumo de tabaco (RO: 1,74; IC 95%: 1,05-2,91), ausência de pensamento otimista (RO: 2,66; IC 95%: 1,75-4,03), adicção em internet (RO: 1,64; IC 95%: 1,08-2,50) e alto hábito de checagem corporal (RO: 1,69; IC 95%: 1,15-2,50). Sono prejudicado (RO: 1,62; IC 95%: 1,02-2,59; RO: 1,62; IC 95%: 1,05-2,51), interação dialogada prejudicada (RO: 3,04; IC 95%: 1,93-4,82; RO: 2,66; IC 95%: 1,81-3,92), sentimento de desapontamento e tensão (RO: 4,80; IC 95%: 2,97-7,77; RO: 4,02; IC 95%: 2,69-6,02) foram fatores associados nos dois grupos, respectivamente. Conclusão Houve importante prevalência de ideação suicida, associada a fatores sociodemográficos, do estilo de vida, socioafetivos e psíquicos.

Resilience Factors in the Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Suicidality

PURPOSE

To investigate whether life satisfaction and optimism might reduce the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescents with depressive symptoms.

METHODS

Participants were 1,904 youth from the NEXT Generation Health Study, a national sample of U.S. adolescents, followed over 7 years from 2009/2010 to 2015/2016. Longitudinal latent profile analysis and logistic regressions were conducted.

RESULTS

We identified three subgroups of adolescents with different patterns of depressive symptoms across the first six waves: "Low" (40%), "Mild" (42%), and "Moderate to Severe" (18%). The Moderate to Severe (OR = 14.47, 95% CI [6.61, 31.66]) and Mild (OR = 3.90, 95% CI [2.22, 6.86]) depression profiles had significantly higher odds of developing suicidality than the Low depression profile. Both life satisfaction and optimism moderated the association between depressive symptom profile and suicidality. The difference in suicidality risk between the Mild and Low depression profiles was significantly attenuated at high versus low levels of life satisfaction, with a difference of -.08, 95% CI [-.14, -.03]. In addition, the difference in suicidality risk between the Moderate to Severe and Low depression profiles was attenuated at high versus low levels of optimism, with a difference of -.11, 95% CI [-.21, -.01].

CONCLUSIONS

For adolescents transitioning to young adulthood, resilience factors such as life satisfaction and optimism may buffer against suicidality risk in the face of mild or moderate to severe depressive symptoms.

Evaluation of peer bullying, internet addiction, and psychological adaptation level of students aged 9-15

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to evaluate peer bullying, internet addiction, and psychological adaptation capabilities of students in the 9-15 age group.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study was performed as cross-sectional-descriptive research with 880 students included in the research sample.

FINDINGS

One-fourth of the students in the 9-15 age group suffered from psychological adaptation issues, one-fifth suffered from bullying issues, and 16.5% suffered from internet addiction.

CONCLUSION

There is a need for early determination in risky age groups, a collaboration between parents and teachers in schools, and extended social studies on the prevention of peer bullying and internet addiction.

How Do Cyber Victimization and Low Core Self-Evaluations Interrelate in Predicting Adolescent Problematic Technology Use?

Research has demonstrated that cyber victimization is consistently associated with higher problem behaviors such as problematic technology use. However, little research has examined specific individual dispositions that can serve as a buffer in the link between cyber victimization and higher problematic uses of technology (i.e., problematic Internet, smartphone, and social media), such as core self-evaluations (CSE). A convenience sample of 1211 high school students, 657 females, 554 males, aged 12 to 18 (mean age = 13.74) completed measures of cyber victimization, CSE, and different problematic technology-related behaviors. Results of correlational analysis revealed significant associations between cyber victimization and all problematic uses of technology. Our findings also suggested that high CSE weakened the relationship between cyber victimization and two of the three problematic uses of technology. Consistent with social compensation theory, cyber victimization was concurrently linked to different problematic uses of technology. Low CSE also strengthened the link between cyber victimization and problems use of smartphones and social media and also showed a marginally significant interaction with cyber victimization in predicting problematic Internet use. Implications of these preliminary findings are discussed and avenues for further research are offered.

Internet addiction mediates the association between cyber victimization and psychological and physical symptoms:moderation by physical exercise

BACKGROUND

The potential mechanisms underlying cyber victimization and the resulting psychological and physical symptoms remain unclear. Thus, the present study investigated whether Internet addiction mediates the association between peer victimization (e.g., cyberbullying) and psychological and physical symptoms. Furthermore, it was assessed whether physical exercise moderates the hypothetical mediation.

METHODS

1854 students from 11 middle and high schools in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, were sampled for this study. Psychological and physical symptoms were assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF, while Internet addiction was evaluated using the Internet addiction test by Young. Cyber victimization was measured using a single question. In addition, this study examined whether Internet addiction mediated the association between cyber victimization and both psychological and physical symptoms. Additional work was conducted to test if physical exercise played a moderating role in the mediation hypothesized above. Mediation and moderation were analyzed using PROCESS macro for SPSS.

RESULTS

Regression analysis showed that both cyber victimization (β = - 0.102, p < 0.05) and Internet addiction (β = - 0.278, p < 0.05) significantly predicted psychological and physical symptoms and demographic variables were controlled. Further mediation analysis suggested that Internet addiction mediated the relationship between cyber victimization and psychological and physical symptoms. The 95% CI (confidence interval) of the direct effect was (- 4.283, - 1.696) and the indirect effect (- 1.904, - 0.820), respectively, excluding zero. Finally, moderation analysis indicated that physical exercise moderated the relationship between Internet addiction and psychological and physical symptoms (p = 0.047).

CONCLUSIONS

Internet addiction plays a mediating role in the association between cyber victimization and both psychological and physical symptoms, Thus, addressing Internet addiction among cyberbullying victims is worthwhile. Furthermore, physical exercise alleviates negative impacts on health and should thus be promoted.

Relationship between suicidal thinking, anxiety, depression and stress in university students who are victims of cyberbullying

The objective of this study is to analyze the predictive capacity of cybervictimization with regards to suicidal thinking and anxiety, depression and stress in university students. The European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 and the Suicidality Scale were administered to a sample of 1282 university students (594 men and 688 women) aged between 18 and 46 (M = 21.65; SD = 4.25). The results suggest that being a cybervictim increases the probability of suicidal thinking and presenting high levels of anxiety, depression and stress. This study highlights the high prevalence rates of cyberbullying in the university environment and how this issue is associated with emotional problems and suicidal thinking. The identification of these relationships may allow for the development of effective preventive intervention measures to respond to this problem.

Assessing risk factors and impact of cyberbullying victimization among university students in Myanmar: A cross-sectional study

Background

Cyberbullying is a global public health concern with tremendous negative impacts, not only on the physical and mental health of students but also on their well-being and academic performance. However, there are very few studies on cyberbullying among university students, especially in Myanmar. This study aims to determine the percentage of university students who suffered cyberbullying victimization in the last 12 months, and the association between students’ socio-demographic characteristics, adverse events following cyberbullying and cyberbullying victimization.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among university students aged 18 years and older at one medical university in Magway, Myanmar. A total of 412 students (277 males and 135 females) participated in the study. Data were collected from August to September, 2018 using a self-administered questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analyses (models I and II) were performed to estimate the unadjusted (UOR) and adjusted odds ratios (AOR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

In total, 40.8% of males and 51.1% of females in the study had suffered cyberbullying victimization in the past 12 months. In model I, students who had been studying at the university for 3 years or less (AOR = 1.81; 95% CI 1.14–2.85), and who had witnessed psychological, physical or sexual violence, or cyberbullying in their neighborhoods, (AOR = 2.95; 95% CI 1.48–5.91) were more likely to have suffered cyberbullying victimization in the past 12 months. In model II, being a victim of cyberbullying was associated with difficulties in concentrating and understanding lectures (AOR = 3.96; 95% CI 1.72–9.11), and substance abuse (AOR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.02–5.49). Non-resident students were at a higher risk of being cyberbullying victims than their resident peers (AOR = 1.86; 95% CI 1.04–3.34).

Conclusion

Two out of five students had suffered cyberbullying victimization in the past 12 months, and only half of the victims discussed their experience(s) with someone else. Students who suffered cyberbullying victimization faced academic difficulties and started or increased smoking, betel chewing or alcohol drinking. Counter measures to prevent and mitigate the adverse events related to cyberbullying victimization are urgently needed among university students in Myanmar. Periodic screening for cyberbullying, counseling services, cyber-safety educational programs, and awareness raising campaigns should be implemented.

Trajectories of Suicidal Ideation from Middle Childhood to Early Adolescence: Risk and Protective Factors

Suicidal ideation is considered to be the first step on the pathway to suicide. Despite the fact that suicidal ideation is surprisingly prevalent among preadolescent children in China and elsewhere, and despite its possible increase during the transition into adolescence, its developmental patterns and predictors during this period are unclear, thus precluding a meaningful understanding of its determinants and possible trajectories. Thus, this study aimed to identify suicidal ideation trajectories and multisystemic predictors covering the transition from middle childhood to early adolescence. A total of 715 Chinese elementary school students (M_age = 8.95, SD = 0.71; 54.5% was male) participated in assessments at six time points, using six-month assessment intervals. Growth mixture modeling analyses extracted three distinct trajectories of suicidal ideation: "low-stable" (86.4%), "moderate-increasing" (7.1%) and "high-start" (6.5%). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that social anxiety and academic anxiety served as risk factors for the adverse developmental trajectories of suicidal ideation; whereas self-esteem, life satisfaction, and academic achievement served as protective factors for the positive developmental trajectory of suicidal ideation. The identification of three subgroups with unique predictors highlights the importance of individual difference considerations in understanding the progression of suicidal ideation in childhood and adolescence and the need for specific programs tailored to the unique characteristics of the relevant trajectories. Furthermore, given that suicidal ideation may start in a proportion of middle childhood youths and continue into adolescence, the middle childhood period should provide an important window of opportunity for large-scale screening and prevention of the escalation of suicidality in adolescence.