Aggressive Problem-Solving Strategies, Aggressive Behavior, and Social Acceptance in Early and Late Adolescence

Psychometric properties of the Cyberbullying Questionnaire (CBQ) among Mexican adolescents

The first objective of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Cyberbullying Questionnaire (CBQ), an instrument for measuring the perpetration and victimization of bullying via new technologies for adolescents. The second objective was to analyze gender differences in the prevalence of cyberbullying. The study sample consisted of 1,491 Mexican adolescents (52.4% male and 47.6% female) with a mean age of 14.51 years (SD = 1.57, range = 12-18). A confirmatory factor analysis of the CBQ indicated a good fit of a model consisting of two factors designated as "perpetration" and "victimization." The internal consistencies for these subscales were adequate. Furthermore, multiple-group-covariance-structure analysis with the Mexican and a Spanish sample (N = 1008; 55.7% girls; mean age = 15.23 years, SD = 1.4) indicated equivalence of the factor structure of the CBQ across samples. An analysis of the relationship between the CBQ and other variables-such as the justification of cyberbullying, impulsivity, and depression-provided additional data supporting the construct validity of the instrument. Regarding gender differences in the prevalence of CB, perpetration was significantly higher for males than for females, whereas no differences were found for victimization. Finally, we discuss the contributions of this work to the field of study.

Cognitive Schemas and Aggressive Behavior in Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Social Information Processing

This study assesses the association between cognitive schemas of justification of violence, grandiosity and abuse, and reactive and proactive aggressive behavior, and whether this association is mediated by social information processing (SIP). For this purpose, a sample of 1371 adolescents (638 girls and 580 boys) completed measures of cognitive schemas, SIP, and Reactive-Proactive Aggression. The results showed that the cognitive schemas of justification of violence and narcissism are more relevant for proactive aggression, whereas the abuse schema is more relevant for reactive aggression. SIP mediated particularly the association between cognitive schemas and reactive aggression. Each cognitive schema was shown to be associated with some particular SIP component: justification of violence and abuse with the component of interpretation, and narcissism with the experience of anger. Moreover, the abuse schema was negatively associated with the selection of aggressive responses. Lastly, a general model of paths between schemas, SIP, and aggression was found to be quite similar for boys and girls, although the former scored higher in proactive aggression, partly because of their higher scores in the justification of violence and narcissism schemas.

Justification of violence and grandiosity schemas as predictors of antisocial behavior in adolescents

This study assessed the role of grandiosity and justification of violence cognitive schemas as predictors of adolescents' antisocial behavior. The 974 Spanish adolescents (457 girls and 517 boys, aged between 14 and 18 years) were assessed at the beginning of the school year and at follow-up 6 months later. They completed measures of aggressive behavior and delinquent behavior, justification of violence and grandiosity cognitive schemas, and impulsivity. The results showed that grandiosity and justification of violence schemas predicted both aggressive and delinquent behavior 6 months later and that the association between grandiosity and aggressive behavior was moderated by impulsivity in boys. In general, the influence of the cognitive schemas in antisocial behavior was very similar for boys and girls. However, boys showed higher delinquent behavior rates than did girls and the tests of mediation revealed that this difference was partially accounted for by boys' higher scores in grandiosity and justification of violence.

Social perspective-taking skills in maltreated children and adolescents

The primary goal of this study was to assess the ability of maltreated school-age children and adolescents to understand the thoughts, feelings, and points of view of others. Level of egocentrism and social perspective-taking coordination were assessed in a group of 49 maltreated and 49 demographically matched nonmaltreated children. Twenty-six elementary and 23 high school students in each group were individually interviewed and their responses to hypothetical interpersonal situations coded for egocentricity and level of perspective-taking ability. The findings revealed that maltreated children and adolescents were more egocentric and delayed in their social perspective-taking development than their nonmaltreated peers and that they reported lower levels of global self-worth. However, differences within the group of maltreated children and adolescents emerged with regard to negotiating novel relationships, as those with fewer internalizing or externalizing symptoms exhibited better skills in this area than their peers who displayed more symptoms.

Gender Differences in Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression and Behavior Problems in Adolescents

This study assessed gender differences in cognitive variables as an explanation for gender differences in depression and behavior problems; 856 adolescents (491 females and 365 males), aged 14-17, completed the Irrational Beliefs Scale for Adolescents, the Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised Short Form, the adolescent version of the Burnett Self-Talk Inventory, and the Youth Self Report. Female adolescents' lower levels of positive thinking and higher scores on negative problem orientation, need for approval and success, and self-focused negative cognitions partially mediated gender differences in depressive symptoms. Males' higher scores on justification of violence beliefs and the impulsivity/carelessness style of problem solving partially accounted for differences in delinquent behavior. The influence of need for approval and success on depressive symptoms was higher among adolescents at ages 14-15 than among older adolescents. Justification of violence did not influence delinquent behavior among girls at age 14-15.