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

The effects of exposure to dating violence and cyber victimization of female university students on resilience and happiness levels

PURPOSE

To examine the effects of exposure to dating violence and cyber victimization of female university students on resilience and happiness levels.

METHODS

The data of this descriptive and correlational study were obtained from 400 female students studying at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Nursing between December 2021 and April 2022 via a personal information form, the Cyber Victim Scale (CVS), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the Oxford Happiness Inventory - Brief Form (OHI). In data analysis, Independent Samples t-Test, Pearson Correlation, and Linear Regression analysis were used together with descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Of the students, 6.5 % were exposed to physical, 8.3 % to economic, 9.8 % to sexual, 28.8 % to verbal, and 53.8 % to emotional dating violence. A significant difference was found between students' exposure to verbal (p = 0.013) dating violence and their resilience. A significant difference was also found between students' exposure to verbal and sexual (p = 0.04) dating violence and their happiness. There was a significant, negative, poor correlation between the mean of the female students' CVS scores and the BRS (r = -0.178, p < 0.001) and OHI scores (r = -0.247, p < 0.001). It was concluded that cyber victimization is a risk factor for resilience and happiness of the female university students.

CONCLUSION

Early detection of dating violence and cyber victimization among university students is important in combating violence. In addition, considering that cyber victimization affects the level of psychological resilience and happiness, students' awareness of cyber victimization should be increased in the fight against cyber victimization to increase the mental health of young people.

The prevalence of cyberbullying and the association between cyberbullying emotional exhaustion and perception of collective efficacy among Chinese college students

OBJECTIVE

With the rapid development of information and communications technology, the prevalence of cyberbullying and its influences on mental health among college students have received increasing attention. The purpose of this study was to survey the prevalence of cyberbullying in Chinese college students and to investigate the association between cyberbullying, emotional exhaustion and the perception of collective efficacy.

METHODS

The study sample included 5315 respondents from ten different colleges in Liaoning Province. Their demographic characteristics and characteristics of online behaviors and instruments including a Cyberbullying Scale with 12 items, the Emotional Exhaustion measuring scale, and the Perception of Collective Efficacy Scale, were employed.

RESULTS

The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization was 26.45 % (1406/5315). Younger male college students who had more active online lives were more likely to be cyberbullying victims. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that being a cyberbullying victim (odds ratio, OR = 2.188; 95%CI, 1.841-2.600, p < 0.001) was associated with emotional exhaustion. Perceptions of collective efficacy (PCE) is negatively associated with cyberbullying and, thus, alleviate emotional exhaustion and mediate the negative effect of emotional exhaustion after it occurs.

CONCLUSION

Cyberbullying occurs quite frequently among Chinese college students. Cyberbullying is a predictor of emotional exhaustion. PCE play a bidirectional role before and after cyberbullying occurs. Our study highlights the importance of the identification of potential cyberbullying victims and of the provision of early interventions in cyberbullying among Chinese college students to improve their mental health.

Do Cyberbullying Victims Feel more Entitled to Bully Others Online? The Moderating Role of Gender

Previous studies have found that adolescent cyberbullying victimization is associated with cyberbullying perpetration and have explored the potential mediating mechanisms between the two. Although some valuable research has been accumulated, further exploration is needed on the underlying mechanisms of why cyber victims are transformed into cyberbullying perpetrators. Based on the General Aggression Model of Cyberbullying and the Social Role Theory, this study examined the mediating role of psychological entitlement and the moderating role of gender on the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and cyberbullying perpetration. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 836 adolescents, utilizing the cyberbullying victimization scale, cyberbullying perpetration scale, and psychological entitlement questionnaire. The results found that (a) cyberbullying victimization, psychological entitlement, and cyberbullying perpetration were significantly and positively correlated with each other; (b) after controlling for gender and age, cyberbullying victimization significantly and positively predicted cyberbullying perpetration and psychological entitlement mediated the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and cyberbullying perpetration; (c) Gender moderates the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and cyberbullying perpetration. Specifically, compared with the girls, cyberbullying victimization had a greater effect on cyberbullying perpetration among boys. The results of this study suggest that cyberbullying victims consider that they have more entitlement to bully others online. These findings support the General Aggression Model of Cyberbullying and provide new insights for the prevention and intervention of cyberbullying perpetration.

Nursing in the digital age: The role of nursing in addressing cyberbullying and adolescents mental health

THE RELEVANCE OF OUR STUDY TO MENTAL HEALTH NURSING

What is known on the subject? The study's findings are crucial for mental health nursing, as they highlight the significant impact of cyberbullying on adolescents' mental health in Egypt. What this paper adds to existing knowledge? By establishing a clear link between cyberbullying, family income, and mental health issues such as anxiety, stress, and depression, the research underscores the need for targeted interventions and support systems. What are the implications for practice? Mental health nurses can utilize this information to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies, advocate for policy changes, and educate families and communities. Addressing cyberbullying and its effects can lead to improved mental health outcomes, demonstrating the critical role of mental health nursing in supporting affected adolescents.

SUMMARY STATEMENT OF IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

WHAT DOES THIS RESEARCH ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE OF CYBERBULLYING AMONG ADOLESCENTS?: This study brings attention to the widespread occurrence of cyberbullying among adolescents in Egypt and its substantial impact on their mental health. The research indicates that cyberbullying, along with family income, collectively explains more than 60% of the variation in mental health. These results underscore the importance of developing strategies to address cyberbullying and taking socioeconomic factors into account when addressing mental health issues in adolescents. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS NEW KNOWLEDGE FOR NURSING CARE WITH ADOLESCENTS?: School nurses should be knowledgeable about the prevalence and effects of cyberbullying on the mental well-being of teenagers. They need to be equipped to recognize signs of cyberbullying and associated mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Educating adolescents, parents, and school staff about the dangers of cyberbullying and prevention methods is a crucial role that school nurses can play. This may involve teaching safe internet usage, promoting open communication about online experiences, and encouraging positive online behaviour. When evaluating mental health needs and planning care for adolescents, school nurses should consider their economic status. They should advocate for resources and assistance for low-income families to help alleviate the impact of financial stress on mental health. HOW COULD THE FINDINGS INFLUENCE POLICY, PRACTICE, RESEARCH, OR EDUCATION?: It is important to introduce policies that provide financial support to families with lower incomes, as the research has shown a strong connection between a family's monthly income and its members' mental well-being. Educational institutions, including schools, should introduce programs to prevent bullying, with a specific focus on cyberbullying. It would be beneficial for researchers to explore the effectiveness of various interventions in reducing cyberbullying and improving mental health outcomes. It is crucial to integrate education on cyberbullying into school curricula in order to raise awareness about this issue and to teach students how to respond if they or someone they know becomes a victim of cyberbullying. Educating parents and teachers about the indicators of cyberbullying and its potential impact on mental health is important so that they can offer support to adolescents who are experiencing cyberbullying. Further research is needed to address other covariates that could impact cyberbullying, such as addictive personality traits, impulsive seeking behaviours, and parenting styles.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cyberbullying, a significant concern in today's digital age, has a profound impact on teenagers' mental health, leading to stress, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and, in severe cases, suicidal ideation. This study aimed to explore the effects of cyberbullying on adolescents' mental health.

METHODS

The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive research design conducted at five public secondary schools in El-Beheira governorate, Egypt. A total of 500 students were selected through a multistage sampling technique, yielding a response rate of 96%. The instruments used for data collection were the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21.

RESULTS

The findings revealed that 27.4% and 32.0% of respondents reported high levels of victimization and cyberaggression, respectively. Furthermore, 72.2%, 44%, and 52.6% of students exhibited severe to extremely severe levels of anxiety, stress, and depression, respectively. The study also found that cyberbullying and family monthly income accounted for 61.6% of the variance in stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms (adjusted R2 = .614).

CONCLUSION

The study concludes that cyberbullying is a prevalent issue among adolescents in Egypt, with a majority of students experiencing moderate to high levels of cybervictimization and aggression. This leads to varying degrees of anxiety, stress, and depression. The study also established a significant relationship between cyberbullying and mental health issues among adolescents. Moreover, both cyberbullying and family monthly income were found to significantly influence mental health, with higher levels of cyberbullying and lower income associated with increased stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No Patient or Public Contribution.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

It is important for nurses working with adolescents to have an understanding of how common cyberbullying is and how it can affect mental health. They should receive training to be able to recognize signs of cyberbullying and mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and stress. Nurses can teach adolescents, parents, and school staff about its dangers and ways to prevent cyberbullying. This may involve educating adolescents on safe internet practices, promoting open communication about online experiences, and encouraging positive online behaviour. Lastly, considering the strong connection between income and mental health, nurses should also take into account the socioeconomic status of adolescents when assessing their mental health needs and planning care. They should work to secure resources and support for low-income families to help alleviate the impact of financial stress on mental health. Additionally, further research is needed to address other covariates that could impact cyberbullying, such as addictive personality traits, impulsive seeking behaviours, and parenting styles.

A 1-year longitudinal study on experiencing workplace cyberbullying, affective well-being and work engagement of teachers: The mediating effect of cognitive reappraisal

Research on experiencing workplace cyberbullying (WCB) and its underlying mechanisms that impact the well-being of teachers is scarce. We propose that cognitive reappraisal, which is a useful and adaptive emotion-regulation strategy for reinterpreting emotion-eliciting situations, is a mediator explaining the inverse relationships between experiencing WCB and well-being. A three-wave longitudinal survey (baseline, T1; 3 months, T2; and 1 year, T3) was conducted with a sample of 444 primary and secondary schoolteachers in Hong Kong, China. Exposure to WCB, cognitive reappraisal, affective well-being and work engagement of participants was assessed. In line with the hypotheses, results showed that cognitive reappraisal mediated the associations between WCB and well-being. WCB at T1 was negatively associated with cognitive reappraisal at T2, which in turn was positively associated with positive affect and work engagement and negatively associated with negative affect at T3. Findings suggest that the intrusive nature of WCB renders its victims emotionally exhausted and helpless, thus negatively impacting the process to reinterpret the situation in a positive light, resulting in undesirable consequences. This study has illuminated WCB's inhibitory mechanism and its long-term detrimental impact. Practical implications are discussed.

Victimization and cybervictimization: The role of school factors

INTRODUCTION

Victimization and cybervictimization can negatively affect the subjective experience of well-being. This effect can be mediated by school factors, even if a deep understanding of these factors still needs to be determined. The present study examined how peer network, teacher support, and school connectedness mediated the relationship between victimization, cybervictimization, and well-being. We developed two mediation models, considering victimization (Model 1) and cybervictimization (Model 2) as predictors, well-being as the outcome, peer network, teacher support, and school connectedness as parallel mediators, and gender as a covariate variable.

METHODS

The sample comprised 563 Italian students (Mage = 11.5; 45% females). Students filled out a purpose-built questionnaire investigating victimization and cybervictimization, peer network, teacher support, school connectedness, and well-being. Two multiple mediation models were run using Process.

RESULTS

The two models showed similar patterns [Model 1: F(8, 169) = 34.35, p ≤ .001, R2 = .34; Model 2: F(8, 169) = 40.13, p ≤ .001, R2 = .34]. Indeed, victimization (Model 1) and cybervictimization (Model 2) had negative significant effects on peer network, teacher support, and school connectedness. However, their direct effects on well-being were not significant, as peer network and school connectedness emerged as complete mediators between victimization (Model 1) and cybervictimization (Model 2) and well-being. Males displayed higher levels of well-being compared to females.

CONCLUSIONS

Peer network and school connectedness play a crucial role in mediating the impact of victimization and cybervictimization on well-being. Educators and policymakers should prioritize fostering supportive peer network and strengthening school connectedness to create an environment that mitigates the negative effects of victimization and cybervictimization, enhancing overall student well-being.

Epidemiological profile, temporal analysis, and future projections of suicide cases in rural cities in the extreme south of Brazil

The present study aimed to verify the time series (2000-2017) of death rates by suicide and its associated factors in 4 municipalities in the extreme south of Brazil. Data were obtained through the analysis of medical reports and police report bulletins at the Instituto Médico Legal, in the city of Rio Grande. The suicide rate in the Rio Grande region varied from 4 to 11 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants and it is estimated that by 2030 this rate could reach 16.5 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The rural cities of Santa Vitória do Palmar and Chuí present even higher suicide averages when compared to Rio Grande, the most populous city of the four. The death rate from suicide increased gradually in the period analyzed, with the prevalence rising among the youngest and the elderly population. A more comprehensive understanding of the influences of environmental issues on suicidal decisions constitutes an important action that needs to be taken, both because of regional vulnerabilities and the target population identified. Evidence indicates that knowledge of factors affecting individuals residing in this Brazilian region where increased suicide rates are recorded needs to be recognized as a priority.

Differential Associations Among Cyberbullying Victimization, Parental Monitoring, and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Male and Female College Students

PURPOSE

This study aimed to examine the role of parental monitoring and help seeking in the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in male and female college students.

METHOD

Data were collected for 336 college students (71.72% female and 28.28% male) aged 18 to 24 or older years from two universities in the Midwest and the South Central regions.

RESULTS

Logistic regression indicated the interaction term of cyberbullying victimization and parental monitoring was negatively related to suicidal thoughts and behaviors in a male group (B = -.155, p < .05, Exp(B) = .86).

DISCUSSION

Male students whose parents monitored about being safe on the computer had dramatically fewer suicidal thoughts/behaviors. In both male and female groups, seeking professional help was not a significant moderator that weakened the relationship.

CONCLUSION

There is a need for additional research on the importance of prevention and intervention efforts to foster open dialogue between students and their parents.

Phone addiction, cyberbullying, and mental health amongst young adults in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Smartphone addiction is a common phenomenon worldwide and within the UAE. It is related to many factors, including gender and ethnicity, and can lead to mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression. This study investigates these factors concerning smartphone addiction among young adults in the UAE.

METHODS

421 participants answered a questionnaire of validated and reliable scales measuring smartphone addiction, cyberbullying experiences, mental health, and demographic information. The average age of the participants was 21 years, and the age groups were divided into two groups. Group 1 consists of participants who are 20 years or younger, and group 2 consists of participants aged 21 or older.

RESULTS

There was a positive correlation between smartphone addiction with both anxiety and depression. A positive correlation was also found between cyberbullying victims, anxiety, and depression. Females were found to have higher levels of anxiety and smartphone addiction in comparison to males.

CONCLUSION

Smartphone addiction is a problem that connects to disorders like anxiety and depression. Conversely, cyberbullying is not directly related to smartphone addiction but is also strongly related to anxiety and depression.

Suicidal Behaviour among School-Going Adolescents in Saint Lucia: Analysis of Prevalence and Associated Factors

Suicide poses a debilitating threat to adolescents' lives worldwide. Although suicide prevention efforts are evident globally, there is limited evidence on the prevalence and correlations of suicidal behaviour among school-going adolescents in Saint Lucia. We used a dataset from the 2018 Global School-based Student Health Survey to examine the prevalence and associated factors of suicidal behaviour among 1864 students from schools in Saint Lucia. Prevalence rates of 25.5%, 22.1%, and 17.5% were found for suicidal ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempt, respectively. After adjusting for other factors, being male and having understanding parents were protective against suicidal behaviour. However, suicidal ideation was predicted by being physically attacked and bullied, parental guidance, tobacco use, loneliness, and worry. Moreover, being a victim of physical attacks and bullying, having close friends, being lonely, and worrying were predictive of making suicidal plans among adolescents. Attempting suicide was predicted by cigarette smoking, current use of tobacco and related products, bullying, having close friends, being lonely, and worrying. School-based preventive interventions are required to help address triggers of suicidal behaviour among adolescents in Saint Lucia and to help attain the targets for suicide prevention in the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Effects of interpretation bias modification on hostile attribution bias and reactive cyber-aggression in Chinese adolescents: a randomized controlled trial

Highly aggressive individuals tend to interpret others' motives and intentions as hostile in both offline and online social situations. The current study examined whether hostile interpretation bias can be modified to influence cyber-aggression in Chinese middle school students using an interpretation bias modification program. Gender differences and the heterogeneity of cyber-aggression were also investigated since previous studies suggest that they play important roles in determining the intervention effect. One hundred and twenty-one middle school students were randomized to receive either an eight-session interpretation bias modification task (CBM-I; n = 61) or an eight-session placebo control task (PCT; n = 60) over four weeks. Measures of hostile attribution bias and cyber-aggression were administered at baseline, post-training, and at one week follow-up. Results showed that compared to PCT, participants in CBM-I showed a significant reduction in reactive cyber-aggression. However, contrary to our expectation, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the reduction of hostile attribution bias after training. The moderated mediation analysis revealed that the effect of CBM-I on hostile attribution bias and the mediating role of hostile attribution bias in the relationship between CBM-I condition and reactive cyber-aggression was only observed among females, but not among males. These findings provide initial evidence for the potential of CBM-I in reducing hostile attribution bias and cyber-aggression. However, for male students, CBM-I might not be effective enough as expected.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-023-04433-3.

Cyberbullying, Social Media Addiction and Associations with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress among Medical Students in Malaysia

This study aims to determine the prevalence and factors associated with cyberbullying and social media addiction. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 270 medical students from a public university in Kuching, Malaysia. The instruments used in this study included the cyberbullying questionnaire survey, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21-item (DASS-21). The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization was 24.4%, whilst 13.0% reported cyberbullying perpetration over the past six months. Male gender was positively associated with both cyberbullying perpetration and cybervictimization, whilst social media addiction was positively associated with cybervictimization. Psychological motives such as positive attitudes toward cyberbullying and gaining power were associated with cyberbullying perpetration. Cybervictimization doubled the tendency to depression (aOR 2.50, 95% CI [1.23, 5.08], p = 0.012), anxiety (aOR 2.38, 95% CI [1.29, 4.40], p = 0.006), and stress (aOR 2.85, 95% CI [1.41, 5.77], p = 0.004), whilst social media addiction was associated with a higher tendency to depression (aOR 1.18, 95% CI [1.10, 1.26], p < 0.001), anxiety (aOR 1.15, 95% CI [1.08, 1.22], p < 0.001), and stress (aOR 1.21, 95% CI [1.12, 1.32], p < 0.001). Medical schools in Malaysia need policies and guidelines against cyberbullying.

Cybervictimization and cyberbullying among college students: The chain mediating effects of stress and rumination

The popularity of the Internet has led to an increase in cybervictimization and cyberbullying. Many studies have focused on the factors influencing cybervictimization or cyberbullying, but few have researched the mechanism that mediates these phenomena. Therefore, in this study, we use a chain mediation model to explore the mechanisms of cybervictimization and cyberbullying. This research is based on the general aggression model and examines whether stress and rumination play a mediating role in the relationship between cybervictimization and cyberbullying among Chinese college students. This study included 1,299 Chinese college students (597 men and 702 women, M = 21.24 years, SD = 3.16) who completed questionnaires on cybervictimization, stress, rumination, and cyberbullying. Harman's one-factor test was used to analyze common method bias; mean and standard deviations were used to analyze the descriptive statistics, Pearson's moment correlation was used to determine the relationship between variables, and Model 6 of the SPSS macro examined the mediating effect of stress and rumination. The results indicate that rumination mediated the relationship between cybervictimization and cyberbullying. In addition, stress and rumination acted as a chain mediator in this association. These results have the potential to reduce the likelihood of college students engaging in cyberbullying as a result of cybervictimization, minimize the rate of cyberbullying among youths, and lead to the development of interventions for cybervictimization and cyberbullying.

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 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.

School bullying among migrant children in China: A cross-sectional study

Background

Bullying is a serious public health concern affecting the physical and mental health of children. Migrant children are at higher risk of developing health problems. We conducted this study to investigate the prevalence of school bullying and its possible influencing factors of migrant children.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out in Hunan Province, China from April to July 2018. Multi-stage cluster sampling was adopted to achieve a representative sample covering both urban and rural areas. Migrant children are defined as those who migrate with one or both parents to other places and who do not have a hukou in their city of residence. The Chinese version of Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire was applied to measure children's involvement in school bullying.

Results

A total of 7,607 students were surveyed, including 995 migrant children and 6,612 non-migrant children. The prevalence of school bullying was significantly higher in migrant children than in non-migrant children (χ ² = 22.740; p < 0.001). Binary regression analysis showed that male, middle school identity, more times of playing violent games, more social friends owning and being beaten by parents or caregivers may increase the risk of involvement of school bullying in migrant children.

Conclusion

Migrant children showed a higher prevalence of school bullying than non-migrant children. Gender, grade, frequency of playing violent games, number of social friends and being beaten by parents or caregivers were associated with school bullying in migrant children.

The relationship of childhood trauma with cyberbullying and cyber victimization among university students

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship of childhood trauma with cyberbullying and cyber victimization levels among health sciences and medical faculty students.

METHOD

This study was conducted with 350 students studying at the health sciences and medical faculty of a university in Istanbul. The data were collected using an information form, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Cyber Bullying Scale, and the Cyber Victimization Scale.

RESULTS

A significant positive correlation was found between the childhood trauma and cyberbullying and cyber victimization levels of the students. A significant positive correlation was also found between cyber victimization and cyberbullying levels.

CONCLUSION

Students at risk of cyber bullying and cyber victimization should be identified, and awareness and coping programs should be planned.

Exploring the Importance of Gender, Family Affluence, Parenting Style and Loneliness in Cyberbullying Victimization and Aggression among Romanian Adolescents

The increasing phenomenon of cyberbullying among adolescents needs parental, educational, and social intervention. The study aimed to identify the prevalence of cyberbullying among Romanian adolescents and the importance of gender, family-related factors, self-esteem, and parental styles in both victims and perpetrators. A total of 835 adolescents aged 10–19 years were included in the research. An online questionnaire was specially constructed for this research, gathering socio-demographic and family-related data along with information about cyberbullying as a victim, aggressor, or bystander, and strategies used in order to deal with it. Four psychological scales were used to evaluate self-esteem, loneliness, cybervictimization/cyberaggression, and parental style. (3) Results showed that the most common age for a personal smartphone is M = 10.24 ± 2.43. The main reasons why students use these networks are primarily chatting and fun and less for academic tasks. During the week, adolescents spend 5.53 ± 2.75 h on social media, while during weekends, the duration of smartphone usage almost doubles. Girls are the most common victims of cyberbullying, and less than three-quarters of students believe that aggressors can be both girls and boys, and only a quarter of them have reported an incident. Family affluence, the relationship with parents and classmates, the presence of loneliness and sociodemographic factors were found to be in a strong relationship with the presence of aggression and/or victimization among adolescents. Cyberaggression was found to be positively correlated with the aggressive parental style and negatively correlated with the compassionate and avoidant parental styles. Results are crucial for identifying cyberbullying actors and preventing the negative effects of cyberbullying on psychological, social, and academic life for students, parents, and teachers.

Does Religion Buffer Against the Detrimental Effect of Cyberbullying Victimization on Adults' Health and Well-Being? Evidence from the 2014 Canadian General Social Survey

While prior research has well-documented the detrimental effect of cyberbullying victimization on health and well-being among children and adolescents, less is known about whether the same adverse pattern can be observed among adults. Moreover, it is unclear about what psychosocial resources might moderate this association. The present study uses a nationally representative cross-sectional survey-2014 Canadian General Social Survey (N = 17,548)-to examine three research questions. First, is cyberbullying victimization associated with adults' self-rated health, mental health, and life satisfaction? Second, how does religiosity-religious service attendance and religious beliefs-moderate this association? Third, do any observed patterns further differ for men and women? Through a series of logistic and ordinary least squares regression models, the results show that adults who experienced cyberbullying victimization in the past 5 years are more likely to report poor self-rated health and mental health compared to those who did not experience cyberbullying victimization in the past 5 years. Likewise, cyberbullying victimization is also associated with lower levels of life satisfaction. In addition, the adverse associations of cyberbullying victimization in the past 5 years with self-rated health and life satisfaction are weaker among those who attended religious service at least once a week in the past twelve months. A similar pattern is observed for the buffering effect of viewing religious beliefs as very important in the adverse association of cyberbullying victimization in the past 5 years with self-rated life satisfaction. There is also evidence suggesting the gendered buffering effect of the importance of religious beliefs in the association between cyberbullying victimization and self-rated health. This study makes important empirical and theoretical contributions to the growing field of research on the association between cyberbullying victimization and health and well-being and to our understanding of how religion matters to individuals dealing with stressful experiences.

Association between resilience, self-esteem and suicide probability among university students in Turkey

PURPOSE

This descriptive and correlational study was conducted to determine whether the self-esteem and resilience levels of students were predictors of suicide probability.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The survey included the demographic data sheet, Resilience scale for adults, the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, the Suicide probability scale.

FINDINGS

Resilience and self-esteem scores of the students were high, while the suicide probability was low. Self-esteem and resilience levels were predictors of suicide probability.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

This highlights the need for assessing the ongoing adjustment of students' resilience and self-esteem levels over a period and providing effective programs to help them improve their resilience and self-esteem.

The Predictability of Routine Activity Theory for Cyberbullying Victimization Among Children and Youth: Risk and Protective Factors

Cyberbullying has been pervading worldwide with negative implications for victims. Therefore, there is an urgent need to better understand this phenomenon and the factors that predict it, as the basis for effective prevention and intervention efforts. The current research aims to examine routine activity theory (RAT) as a theoretical framework predictive of cyberbullying victimization (CV) among children and youth. It was hypothesized that each of the RAT measures and the convergence of all measures predict CV. Data were collected from 5,719 primary, middle, and high school Israeli students (51.9% females) during the 2019-2020 school year via online questionnaires. Regression and moderation analyses were conducted to assess the predictability of CV from RAT measures, separately and converged. All RAT measures, separately and converged, predict CV. While off-line trust negatively predicts CV, other control variables, that is, online trust, educational institution phase, and gender, do not. Implications for school programs and guidelines for parents address the risk and protective factors of CV found. This study provides support for the predictability of CV from RAT and expands the knowledge of risk and protective factors predictive of CV.

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.

Cybervictimization and Depression among Adolescents: Coping Strategies as Mediators

Studies have shown the relationships among cybervictimization, coping strategies, and depression, but no study has examined the mechanism that links the three variables. Accordingly, this study used the transactional model of stress and coping theory as a conceptual framework and proposed that coping strategies are mediators for the effects of cybervictimization on depression. A total of 387 adolescents were recruited by using the purposive sampling method. The results showed that cybervictimization is not directly associated with depression. All the coping strategies are found to be associated with cybervictimization, but only the avoidant coping strategy is the statistical mediator for the effects of cybervictimization on depression. This study’s findings suggest that the transactional model of stress and coping theory may provide a framework in the area of cyberbullying and recommend more actions to be taken in order to reduce the use of avoidance coping strategies among victims of cyberbullying.

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.

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

BACKGROUND

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

METHODS

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

RESULTS

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

LIMITATIONS

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

CONCLUSIONS

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

Social Support and Suicide Risk Among Chinese University Students: A Mental Health Perspective

Background: World Health Organization recognizes suicide as a public health priority. This study aimed to investigate the risk life events which led university students to consider suicide and explore the protective mechanism of social support (including subjective support, objective support, and support utilization) on suicide risk. Methods: Three thousand nine hundred and seventy-two university students were recruited in Harbin, China. Social Support Rating Scale, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the 25-item scale of suicide acceptability were used to collect participants' information. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and mediation analysis were employed for statistical analysis. Results: "Drug addict," "infected with HIV," and "incurable illness" were the top three events that led university students to consider suicide. Social support played an important protective role against suicide risk. Subjective support and support utilization had total effects on suicide acceptability, including direct and indirect effects. Anxiety (indirect effect = -0.022, 95% CI = -0.037 ~ -0.009) and depressive symptoms (indirect effect = -0.197, 95% CI = -0.228 ~ -0.163) mediated the relationship between subjective support and suicide acceptability; meanwhile, the association between support utilization and suicide acceptability was mediated by anxiety (indirect effect = -0.054, 95% CI = -0.088 ~ -0.024) and depressive symptoms (indirect effect = -0.486, 95% CI = -0.558 ~ -0.422). However, the protective impact of objective support worked totally through decreasing anxiety (indirect effect = -0.018, 95% CI = -0.035 ~ -0.006) and depressive symptoms (indirect effect = -0.196, 95% CI = -0.246 ~ -0.143). Moreover, the mediation effects of depressive symptoms had stronger power than anxiety in the impact of social support on suicide risk. Conclusions: Among Chinese university students, suicide acceptability was elevated when there was a health scare. Social support effectively reduced suicide risk via decreasing anxiety and depressive symptoms. From the mental health perspective, families, peers, teachers, and communities should work together to establish a better social support system for university students, if necessary, help them to seek professional psychological services.

Exploring the Mediating Roles of State and Trait Anxiety on the Relationship between Middle Adolescents' Cyberbullying and Depression

Cyberbullying is a global problem with significant negative implications, especially among more vulnerable populations, such as adolescents. Previous research suggested that cyberbullying is significantly associated with depression, and anxiety seems to partially or fully mediate this relationship. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and the relationships between cyberbullying status (i.e., cyberbully, cyber victim, double role, or non-cyber), gender, and age. We also explored the mediating roles of state and trait anxiety on the relationship between adolescents' cyberbullying victimization, cyber-aggressiveness, and depression. Our sample consisted of 501 middle adolescents aged from 12 to 15 years (M = 14.00; SD = 0.80; 51.1% males). The results suggested no significant associations between participants' status, gender, or age. Mediation analyses suggested that the relationship between cyber-victimization, cyber-aggressiveness, and depression was mediated by state anxiety and not trait anxiety. We discuss the implications of the current findings in understanding cyberbullying's psychological consequences and their relevant practical implications for prevention and intervention programs.

Cyberbullying victimization and problematic Internet use among Chinese adolescents: Longitudinal mediation through mindfulness and depression

Although previous research has demonstrated that the experience of cyberbullying victimization is associated with behavioral and psychological health problems, it is still unclear how cyberbullying victimization affects physical and mental health issues. Our aim was to test the longitudinal linkage between cyberbullying victimization and problematic Internet use (PIU) via the possible mediating roles of mindfulness and depression. This study employed a two-wave longitudinal design. 661 Chinese junior high school students were assessed using self-reported questionnaires about cyberbullying victimization, mindfulness, severity of depression, and PIU. The results revealed that the experience of cyberbullying victimization was positively related to PIU through the mediating variables of mindfulness and depression.