Psychometric properties of the Florence CyberBullying-CyberVictimization Scales

The association between undergraduate nursing students' health literacy and bullying and cyberbullying victimization

BACKGROUND

Bullying and cyberbullying victimization are common among undergraduate nursing students. However, evidence regarding health literacy association with bullying and cyberbullying victimization is lacking.

PURPOSE

To investigate the association between health literacy and bullying and cyberbullying victimization in undergraduate nursing students.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was used with a sample of undergraduate nursing students (N = 397). The students completed three data collection scales (Forms of Peer Victimization Scale, Florence Cyberbullying-Cybervictimization Scales, and Health Literacy Questionnaire) and a demographics questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using cluster analysis and independent samples t-test.

RESULTS

The mean age of students was 20.93 (SD = 2.16). Cluster analysis revealed that there were two clusters; undergraduate nursing students in cluster 1 had lower scores on health literacy and higher scores on bullying and cyberbullying victimization. The t-test results showed that undergraduate nursing students with a history of bullying victimization had lower scores on health literacy scales than those who reported no exposure to bullying victimization (p < .05). The largest mean difference was found in the "social support for health" scale.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study provide evidence that health literacy is a key determinant of mitigating bullying and cyberbullying victimization in undergraduate nursing students.

Protective Role of Self-Regulatory Efficacy: A Moderated Mediation Model on the Influence of Impulsivity on Cyberbullying through Moral Disengagement

During online interactions, adolescents are often exposed to deviant opportunities. In this context, the capacity to regulate one's behavior is essential to prevent cyberbullying. Among adolescents, this online aggressive behavior is a growing phenomenon, and its deleterious effects on teenagers' mental health are well known. The present work argues the importance of self-regulatory capabilities under deviant peer pressure in preventing cyberbullying. In particular, focusing on two relevant risk factors, i.e., impulsivity and moral disengagement, we examine (1) the mediation role of moral disengagement in the process leading to cyberbullying from impulsivity; (2) the buffering effect of the perceived self-regulatory capability to resist deviant peer pressure in mitigating the effect of these impulsive and social-cognitive dimensions on cyberbullying. Moderated mediation analysis was performed on a sample of 856 adolescents; the results confirm that the perceived self-regulatory capability to resist peer pressure effectively mitigates the indirect effect of impulsivity through moral disengagement on cyberbullying. The practical implications of designing interventions to make adolescents more aware and self-regulated in their online social lives to counter cyberbullying are discussed.

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 definitions and measurements in children and adolescents: Summarizing 20 years of global efforts

Despite numerous instruments existing to assist in the measurement of specific cyberbullying behaviors or cyberbullying in general, it is still unclear their purpose, corresponding scenarios, and their effectiveness. This study, therefore, aims to provide a comprehensive review of academic efforts on cyberbullying definitions, measurements, and their effectiveness in children and adolescents in the past two decades. A systematic review was performed using ASReview, an open source machine learning systematic review system. Three bibliographic citation databases, including Web of Science core collection, PubMed, and EBSCO were adopted for all relevant literature published from January 2001 to August 2021. In total, twenty-five studies, mentioning seventeen cyberbullying measurement scales, met the study collection criteria. The results found that most failed to provide a clear definition of cyberbullying, often providing unclear and inconsistent descriptions for the youth. Similarly, studies found it difficult to clearly reflect the three key elements of bullying, namely: harmfulness, repetitiveness, and the power imbalance between bullies and victims. With regard to cyberbullying types, most presented two or three categories, including victimization, perpetration, and bystanding, while some suggested four types based on the nature of the cyberbullying behavior, including written or verbal, visual or sexual, character impersonation, and exclusion. If characteristics are considered, cyberbullying becomes more specific with multiple categories being proposed, including flaming (or roasting), harassment, denigration, defamation, outing, jokes, online sexual harassment, and cyberstalking. With regard to measurements, many scales have been proposed and frequently refined to capture specific cyberbullying experience of the youth. This study emphasizes the value and importance of providing clear cyberbullying definitions and helps scholars in youth cyberbullying choose appropriate measurement scales.

Cybervictimisation and Well-Being during the Outbreak of COVID-19: The Mediating Role of Depression

Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to modifying relational habits and increasing Internet use to engage in antisocial behaviours such as cybervictimisation. Additionally, social distancing can reinforce the relationship with internalising behaviours such as depression. Through an adolescent sample, this study examines the relationship between cybervictimisation and well-being and the mediating role of depression. The hypothesis was tested via Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis to verify the role of depression as a mediator between cybervictimisation and well-being. The main results reveal that the effect of cybervictimisation on well-being was fully mediated by depression. The findings should stimulate debate on possible interventions to promote adolescent well-being and to avoid emotional and mental health problems related to social isolation.

How many cyberbullying(s)? A non-unitary perspective for offensive online behaviours

Research has usually considered cyberbullying as a unitary phenomenon. Thus, it has been neglected to explore whether the specific online aggressive behaviours relate differentially to demographic features of the perpetrators of online aggressive actions, their personality characteristics, or to the ways in which they interact with the Internet. To bridge this gap, a study was conducted through a questionnaire administered online to 1228 Italian high-school students (Female: 61.1%; 14–15 yo: 48.%; 16–17 yo: 29.1%; 18–20 yo: 20.4%, 21–25 yo: 1.6%; Northern Italy: 4.1%; Central Italy: 59.2%; Southern Italy: 36.4%). The questionnaire, in addition to items about the use of social media, mechanisms of Moral Disengagement and personality characteristics of the participants in the study, also included a scale for the measurement of cyberbullying through the reference to six aggressive behaviours. The results indicate that cyberbullying can be considered as a non-unitary phenomenon in which the different aggressive behaviours can be related to different individual characteristics such as gender, personality traits and the different ways of interacting with social media. Moreover, the existence of two components of cyberbullying has been highlighted, one related to virtual offensive actions directly aimed at a victim, the other to indirect actions, more likely conducted involving bystanders. These findings open important perspectives for understanding, preventing, and mitigating cyberbullying among adolescents.

The Dark Tetrad, cybervictimization, and cyberbullying: The role of moral disengagement

Cyberbullying is a form of antisocial online behaviors. Perpetration of intentional and repeated harm inflicted through electronic devices is associated with dark personality traits and may be caused by morally impaired reasoning. In the current study, we investigated the associations between the Dark Tetrad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, sadism), cybervictimization, and cyberbullying. We also examined the intervening role of moral disengagement in the relationship between the Dark Tetrad and cyberbullying. Two hundred fifty-one adults (72.6% women) participated in an on-line study. Correlational analysis indicated that all dark personality traits were associated with higher cyberbullying and cybervictimization (except narcissism as a predictor of cybervictimization). Moral disengagement was positively related to Machiavellianism, sadism and cybervictimization. Controlled for covariance between the Dark Tetrad traits and cybervictimization, sadism and cybervictimization appeared to be associated with cyberbullying. Moreover, moral disengagement did not account for the associations between the Dark Tetrad and cyberbullying.

Adaptation and validation of the European cyberbullying intervention project questionnaire with and for Chinese adolescents

Cyberbullying is a global and growing phenomenon, which affects the wellbeing of millions of adolescents around the world including Chinese adolescents. However, there is a lack of valid and reliable measures of cyberbullying behaviours in Chinese. To address this research gap, this study aims to adapt and validate a well-known, reliable and validated instrument: the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (ECIPQ) among Chinese adolescents. A 14-item (seven for cyber aggression and seven for cyber victimisation) of the Chinese version of ECIPQ was developed based on its relevance and appropriateness to the Chinese culture. After its cultural and linguistic adaptation, the measure was norm with a sample of Chinese adolescents. A total sample of 452 adolescents was randomly split into two evenly subsamples for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA results indicated that the Chinese version of ECIPQ had a good convergent validity and satisfactory discriminant validity, and a two-factor model was identified. CFA results showed a good fit of the measurement model in assessing cyber aggression and cyber victimisation. This adapted Chinese version of ECIPQ can be used to facilitate future research on cyberbullying screening, and that research may in turn promote proactive screening and better coordination of community responses for victims as well as perpetrators. Future comparative studies may use the validated scale to assess the prevalence of cyberbullying and the results of interventions to reduce cyberbullying among Chinese adolescents.

Cyberbullying Behaviors in Online Travel Community: Members’ Perceptions and Sustainability in Online Community

Online travel community (OTC) has been played a critical role for digital marketing in the travel industry. The successful operation of an online travel community is depending on social connection and active friendship among the OTC’s users. However, cyber-victimization has become a critical concern which has been threaten sustainable online travel community. In this regard, this study investigates how cyber-victimization recovery practices in OTAs affect online community ambient and behavioral loyalty in OTCs using second-order confirmatory factor analysis. The results indicate that the OTCs’ efforts to recover the online ambient against cyber-victimization lead OTC members to be loyal to the OTCs. Implications for the sustainable online travel community were discussed.

Triarchic Model Traits as Predictors of Bullying and Cyberbullying in Adolescence

The triarchic model of psychopathy includes a disinhibition dimension related to externalizing outcomes, a meanness dimension pertaining to callous-unemotional traits, and a boldness dimension referring to emotional stability and high confidence in peer relationships. Some dimensions of psychopathy have been extensively investigated in samples of children and adolescents; in particular, the callous-unemotional (meanness) dimension has been associated with aggression and bullying in numerous studies. However, the other dimensions of the triarchic model have been relatively unexplored in samples of adolescents. Thus, we tested for associations between the triarchic dimensions and bullying and cyberbullying behaviors (i.e., proactive, goal-directed, and repetitive aggressive behaviors) in a sample of 580 high school students aged 14 to 19 years. Logistic regression analyses showed that (a) meanness and disinhibition scores were uniquely associated with traditional bullying, whereas only meanness was uniquely associated with cyberbullying; (b) boldness scores moderated the relationship between disinhibition and cyberbullying, such that disinhibition was related to cyberbullying only at low levels of boldness; and (c) these patterns were maintained when accounting for overall levels of conduct problems and were not moderated by the experience of victimization. Our findings suggest that the triarchic model of psychopathy can contribute to an understanding of youth engagement in bullying and cyberbullying.

The role of mood states in cyberbullying and cybervictimization behaviors in adolescents

Cyberbullying is an intentional aggressive behavior repeatedly perpetrated by a single person or a group against a peer who can not easily defend, characterized by the use of electronic forms of contact. This phenomenon is a public health concern with serious implications for adolescents' mental health. We aimed to investigate the role of gender, age, and subjective self perceived mood states in cyberbullying and victimization (being a victim of cyberbullying) behaviors. A total of 554 adolescents (293 males and 261 females, age 15.27; SD = 2.21) completed the Florence Cyber-Bullying Cyber-Victimization Scales (FCBVSs) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Older age and male gender were associated to both cyberbullying and victimization.The aggressiveness/anger (A) and confusion/bewilderment (C) factors measured by the POMS were predictors of all types of cyberbulliyng and cybervictimization behaviors; the tension/anxiety (T) factor was a predictor of all cyberbullying behaviors and of the FCBVSs impersonification subscale of cybervictimization. Subjective specific mood states may contribute to both cyberbulliyng and victimization behaviors, suggesting the potential benefit of preventive strategies addressing the recognition and management of mood states in adolescents.

Cyberbullying and cybervictimization among preadolescents: Does time perspective matter?

Time perspective has been recognized as an important psychological dimension with a pervasive and powerful influence on human behavior. To the authors' knowledge, no studies have focused on the relationship between time perspective and cyberbullying behavior. The first aim of this research is to fill this gap by investigating the relationship between different time perspectives and both cyberbullying and cybervictimization among 6th to 8th grade students. The second objective was to investigate the relationship between time perspective, cyberbullying behaviors, peer problems, and the quality of relationship with teachers. A sample consisting of 403 students aged between 11 and 14 years from Italian middle schools (56% females, mean age = 12.2 years) were recruited. Participants filled in a self-report questionnaire measuring cyberbullying and cybervictimization as well as the Time Perspective questionnaire. The analyses showed the presence of significant correlations between time perspective and both cyberbullying and cybervictimization. In particular, cybervictimization showed a quite large positive correlation with a past-negative orientation and a negative correlation with past-positive orientation. Instead, the involvement in active cyberbullying was positively correlated with a past-negative orientation and negatively correlated with future orientation. The findings advance the understanding of psychological factors influencing cyberbullying during early adolescence and suggest the importance of past-positive and past-negative orientations in accounting for both active cyberbullying and cybervictimization. As expected, future orientation appeared to represent a protective factor against involvement in cyberbullying behaviors.

How to Stop Victims' Suffering? Indirect Effects of an Anti-Bullying Program on Internalizing Symptoms

Victims of bullying and cyberbullying present internalizing problems, such as anxiety, psychosomatic and depressive symptoms, and are at higher risk of considering or attempting suicide. Researchers have put great effort into developing interventions able to stop bullying and cyberbullying, and thus buffering possible negative consequences. Despite this, only a few of them have investigated the effects of these programs on the psychological suffering of the victims. The NoTrap! program is an Italian evidence-based intervention able to reduce victimization, bullying, cybervictimization and cyberbullying. The aim of the present study is to analyze whether the NoTrap! program can reduce internalizing symptoms through the decrease in both victimization and cybervictimization. Participants were 622 adolescents, enrolled in the 9th grade of eight high schools in Tuscany (experimental group: N = 451; control group: N = 171). We collected data at three time points: pre-, mid- and post-intervention. Using latent growth curve models, we found that the program significantly predicted the change in internalizing symptoms over time. Furthermore, the mediation model showed that only the indirect effect via cybervictimization was significant. In summary, the program reduced internalizing symptoms within the experimental group successfully, through the decrease in cybervictimization more so than through the mediational effect of decreasing victimization.

Educational Environments with Cultural and Religious Diversity: Psychometric Analysis of the Cyberbullying Scale

The objective of this research is to adapt and validate a useful instrument to diagnose cyberbullying, provoked by intolerance towards cultural and religious diversity, identifying the profile of the aggressor and the victim. The study was carried out using the Delphi technique, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The selected sample was composed of 1478 adolescents, all students from Compulsory Secondary Education of Spain. The instrument items were extracted from relevant scales on the topic. The initial questionnaire was composed of 52 items and three underlying constructs. After validation with EFA (n = 723), the structure was checked, and the model was later corroborated with CFA (n = 755) through structural equations (RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.826, TLI = 0.805). The reliability and internal consistency of the instrument were also tested, with values for all dimensions being higher than 0.8. It is concluded that this new questionnaire has 38 items and three dimensions. It has an acceptable validity and reliability, and can be used to diagnose cyberbullying caused by the non-acceptance of cultural and religious diversity in Compulsory Secondary Education students.

Conceptualizing bullying in children with autism spectrum disorder: Using a mixed model to differentiate behavior types and identify predictors

Children with autism spectrum disorder experience bullying more frequently than their typical peers. Inconsistent definitions for and imprecise measurement of bullying in the literature impede a better understanding of this difference, and multiple types of bullying topographies create additional dimensions for analysis. In this study, participants rated the severity of bullying depicted in written vignettes of child-dyadic interactions. The vignettes varied across child age (4-15 years old) and described either one of four different types of bullying or non-bullying behavior. Participants included teachers and parents of children with autism spectrum disorder and community members without an autism spectrum disorder child. Participants' severity ratings of vignettes that described bullying differed by bullying type (i.e. verbal, physical, cyber, and interpersonal). Multilevel modeling revealed that bullying severity ratings are impacted by the age of children in the vignette, being a community member without children, and other demographic variables. These findings have implications for research methodology, assessment, and conceptualization of bullying in typical children as well as those with autism spectrum disorder.

Behavior during cyberbullying episodes: Initial validation of a new self-report scale

Research on cyberbullying has been growing worldwide, with much of the focus on the characteristics of perpetrators and targets of cyberbullying. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid on bystanders of cyber-attacks. This study presents the Italian validation of a newly developed self-report scale that measures different forms of participation in cyberbullying, namely cyberbullying, cybervictimization, cyber-defending and cyber-passive bystanding. We used responses from 561 young adolescents (289 girls; mean age = 12 years, 1 month; SD = 9 months) attending middle schools in Italy. A 16-item scale was developed paralleling the content of an already existing scale that measures young adolescents' behavior in traditional bullying. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-dimensional structure of the scale and the four subscale's scores showed acceptable levels of internal consistency. Multigroup analyses demonstrated full scalar invariance of the scale across gender groups. Finally, each behavior in the electronic context was positively correlated with its counterpart in the school context, suggesting certain stability across contexts. It is concluded that the scale may be a first, promising attempt to measure different youths' behavior during cyberbullying episodes.

Perceived Severity of Cyberbullying: Differences and Similarities across Four Countries

Cyberbullying is a ubiquitous topic when considering young people and internet and communication technologies (ICTs). For interventional purposes, it is essential to take into account the perspective of adolescents. This is the reason why our main focus is (1) investigating the role of different criteria in the perceived severity of cyberbullying incidents, and (2) examining the differences between countries in the perceived severity of cyberbullying. The sample consisted of 1,964 adolescents (48.2% girls) from middle and high schools of four different countries, i.e., Estonia, Italy, Germany, and Turkey. The participants' age ranged from 12 to 20 years old with a mean age of 14.49 (SD = 1.66) years. To assess perceived severity, participants rated a set of 128 scenarios, which systematically included one or more of five criteria (intentionality, repetition, imbalance of power, public vs. private, and anonymity) and represented four types of cyberbullying behaviors (Written—Verbal, Visual, Exclusion, Impersonation). The role of different criteria was analyzed using the Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM). Results showed a similar structure across the four countries (invariant except for the latent factors' means). Further, criteria of imbalance of power and, to a lesser extent, intentionality, anonymity, and repetition always in combination, were found to be the most important criteria to define the severity of cyberbullying. Differences between countries highlighted specific features of Turkish students, who perceived all scenarios as more severe than adolescents from other countries and were more sensitive to imbalance of power. German and Italian students showed an opposite perception of anonymity combined with intentionality. For Italian participants, an anonymous attack was less threatening than for participants of other countries, whereas for German students anonymity caused more insecurity and fear. In addition, Italian adolescents were more perceptive of the criterion of intentionality. Finally, Estonian adolescents did not show strong differences in their factor scores compared to adolescents from the other countries.

Associations among Different Internet Access Time, Gender and Cyberbullying Behaviors in Taiwan's Adolescents

With the increasing convenience of social networking sites and their interconnectedness with human interaction, verbal and image bullying have turned digital, making cyberbullying a new form of bullying attracting the attention of researchers, social workers, and schools. This study focuses on the status quo of attitude toward cyberbullying and cyberbullying behavior, explores associations of attitude toward behavior on cyberbullying behavior in gender and different internet access times. In a cross-sectional survey, adolescents were surveyed through self-report questionnaires, 13,864 respondents were received among 150 high schools in Taiwan. Statistical analyses were performed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The study revealed that attitude toward cyberbullying has a direct effect on cyberbullying behavior; among the greatest direct impact were when students use the Internet during the time frame 10:00–14:00. Parents and schoolteachers pay special attention to students using the Internet during this time frame 10:00–14:00 and give guidance, express care, and help those being bullied to communicate and use the Internet in a correct manner. Among genders, male student attitude toward behavior has a greater effect than those of female students. Both male and female students know what cyberbullying is and have witnessed, heard of, or personally encountered cyberbullying behavior. We recommend students talk to parents or teachers or other people who care to reduce the negative effects of cyberbullying. We hopeful that the conceptualization model presented in this study serves as an activator for researches on attitude toward cyberbullying and cyberbullying behavior, and serves a guide and a call to attract more researches in this area.

Validation of the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire for Colombian Adolescents

Cyberbullying is the act of using unjustified aggression to harm or harass via digital devices. Currently regarded as a widespread problem, the phenomenon has attracted growing research interest in different measures of cyberbullying and the similarities and differences across countries and cultures. This article presents the Colombian validation of the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (ECIPQ) involving 3,830 high school students (M = 13.9 years old, standard deviation = 1.61; 48.9 percent male), of which 1,931 were Colombian and 1,899 Spanish. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), content validation, and multigroup analysis were performed with each of the sample subgroups. The optimal fits and psychometric properties obtained confirm the robustness and suitability of the assessment instrument to jointly measure cyber-aggression and cyber-victimization. The results corroborated the theoretical construct and the two-dimensional and universal nature of cyberbullying. The multigroup analysis showed that cyberbullying dynamics are similar in both countries. The comparative analyses of prevalence revealed that Colombian students are less involved in cyberbullying. The results indicate the suitability of the instrument and the advantages of using such a tool to evaluate and guide psychoeducational interventions aimed at preventing cyberbullying in countries where few studies have been performed.