Trends in Cyberbullying and School Bullying Victimization in a Regional Census of High School Students, 2006-2012

How childhood psychological abuse affects adolescent cyberbullying: The chain mediating role of self-efficacy and psychological resilience

BACKGROUND

Despite the recognition of the impact of childhood psychological abuse, self-efficacy, and psychological resilience on cyberbullying, there is still a gap in understanding the specific mechanisms through which childhood psychological abuse impacts cyberbullying via self-efficacy and psychological resilience.

METHODS

Based on the Social Cognitive Theory, this study aims to investigate the link between childhood psychological abuse and cyberbullying in adolescents, mediated by the sequential roles of self-efficacy and psychological resilience. The sample consisted of 891 students (M = 15.40, SD = 1.698) selected from four public secondary schools in Jiangsu Province, Eastern China. All the participants filled in the structured self-report questionnaires on childhood psychological abuse, self-efficacy, psychological resilience, and cyberbullying. The data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0 and structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS 24.0.

RESULTS

The findings of this study are as follows: (1) Childhood psychological abuse is positively associated with adolescent cyberbullying; (2) Self-efficacy plays a mediating role between childhood psychological abuse and adolescent cyberbullying; (3) Psychological resilience plays a mediating role between childhood psychological abuse and adolescent cyberbullying; (4) Self-efficacy and psychological resilience play a chain mediation role between childhood psychological abuse and adolescent cyberbullying.

CONCLUSION

This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms linking childhood psychological abuse to adolescent cyberbullying, shedding light on potential pathways for targeted interventions and support programs to promote the well-being of adolescents in the face of early adversity.

Growing relevance of reports of adolescent cyberbullying victimization among adult outpatients

In the general population, prevalence rates of cyberbullying victimization have continuously increased over the past decades. However, the extent to which these increasing numbers affect clinical populations seeking treatment in outpatient services remains an open question. The present study sought to examine whether the increase of cyberbullying victimization is also reflected by increased reports of cyberbullying victimization in a clinical outpatient population. In addition, we assessed the incremental contribution of experiences of cyberbullying in the prediction of psychological symptoms when controlling for histories of childhood maltreatment and offline peer victimization. For this purpose, we analyzed routine data from N = 827 outpatients who had sought treatment at a University outpatient clinic for psychotherapy between 2012 and 2021 in a cross-sectional study design. Analyses showed that 8.3% of the patients born in the years 1980 to 2002 indicated the experience of cyberbullying victimization in their adolescence. The rate of reported cyberbullying victimization increased from 1 to 3% in patients born in the years 1980 to 1987 to 24% in patients born in the year 2000. A logistic regression revealed that patients born in the years 1995-2002 were up to nineteen times as likely to report cyberbullying victimization as patients born in the years 1980-1982. In addition, hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that cyberbullying victimization significantly accounted for an incremental proportion of variance (1%) in the prediction of psychological symptom distress after controlling for child maltreatment and offline peer victimization. In conclusion, this retrospective survey indicates an increase of the clinical relevance of cyberbullying victimization both in frequency of and potential contribution to etiology. Raising attention to cyberbullying in clinical care and research seems to be justified and warranted.

Ethnoracial Differences in Past Year Victimization Rates for a National Sample of Gender and Sexual Minority Adolescents

Little research exists on victimization for gender and sexual minority adolescents (GSMA) of color. This study identifies differences in past year rates across six victimization types for GSMA by ethnoracial identification. Descriptive analyses were conducted on 1,177 GSMA (14-19 years old), with victimization types stratified by ethnoracial identification and multiple logit regression was used to identify differences. Compared to White (non-Hispanic) peers, Black (non-Hispanic) GSMA reported lower victimization rates across multiple categories with two exceptions. Higher rates of racially biased physical assault were noted among Black (non-Hispanic) and bi/multi-ethnoracial GSMA. Higher rates of witnessing community violence were reported by Black (non-Hispanic), bi/multi-ethnoracial, and Latinx GSMA. To address GSMA's needs, we need to understand the differential risk so that our interventions are responsive to the diversity within this community.

Sexual minority youth's mental health and substance use: The roles of victimization, cybervictimization, and non-parental adult support

Victimization is a well-established driver of sexual minority youth's (SMY) mental health and substance use risk. The current study examined and extended this research by exploring how victimization, cybervictimization, and non-parental supportive adults contribute to SMY's vulnerability to poor mental health and substance use. Using data from the first representative sample of Texas youth that measures sexual identity, we analyzed sex-stratified models of the association between sexual identity, mental health, and substance use, and the confounding effects of victimization, cybervictimization, and non-parental adult support. Victimization was more common among SMY and accounted for a greater proportion of sexual identity disparities on mental health and substance use, especially for males. Sexual minority females were more likely to report cybervictimization than heterosexual youth, and cybervictimization was associated with mental health risk. SMY reported fewer available non-parental supportive adults, which was associated with more sadness, suicidality, and polysubstance use. Our study adds to extant evidence that victimization drives SMY's increased susceptibility to mental health and substance use risk. Schools should implement inclusive policies that prohibit bullying based on sexual minority identity and offer professional development opportunities for supporting SMY.

The politics of depression: Diverging trends in internalizing symptoms among US adolescents by political beliefs

Adolescent internalizing symptoms (e.g. depressive affect) have increased over the past decade in the US, particularly among girls. The reasons for these increases are unclear. We hypothesize that increasing exposure to politicized events has contributed to these trends in adolescent internalizing symptoms, and that effects may be differential by political beliefs and sociodemographic characteristics. We analyzed nationally-representative data from 2005 to 2018 Monitoring the Future annual cross-sectional samples of 12th-grade students (N = 86,138). We examined self-reported political beliefs, sex, and parental education as predictors of four internalizing symptom scales over time, including depressive affect. From 2005 to 2018, 19.8% of students identified as liberal and 18.1% identified as conservative, with little change over time. Depressive affect (DA) scores increased for all adolescents after 2010, but increases were most pronounced for female liberal adolescents (b for interaction = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.32), and scores were highest overall for female liberal adolescents with low parental education (Mean DA 2010: 2.02, SD 0.81/2018: 2.75, SD 0.92). Findings were consistent across multiple internalizing symptoms outcomes. Trends in adolescent internalizing symptoms diverged by political beliefs, sex, and parental education over time, with female liberal adolescents experiencing the largest increases in depressive symptoms, especially in the context of demographic risk factors including parental education. These findings indicate a growing mental health disparity between adolescents who identify with certain political beliefs. It is therefore possible that the ideological lenses through which adolescents view the political climate differentially affect their mental wellbeing.

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.

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Exposure to Peer Bullying Victimization

Females exposed to child sexual abuse (CSA) are at an increased risk of experiencing further victimization in adolescence. Associations between CSA and several forms of cyber and in-person peer bullying victimization were assessed in a prospective, longitudinal study. Females exposed to substantiated CSA and a matched comparison group (N = 422) were followed over a two-year period. Bullying experiences were assessed in both survey and qualitative interviews. Qualitative data were coded and used to describe the types (e.g., cyber, physical, verbal), and foci (e.g., threats, physical appearance) of bullying victimization. Logistic regression was used to assess the odds that CSA was associated with subsequent bullying victimization, adjusted for demographics, social networking use, and prior bullying. CSA-exposed females were at an increased risk of multiple forms of bullying victimization with a persistent risk of bullying victimization over time. Specifically, they had 2.6 times higher odds of experiencing any bullying at follow-up, 2.9 times higher odds of experiencing cyberbullying at follow-up, and 2 times higher odds of experiencing combined cyber/in-person bullying at follow-up. CSA-exposed females were more likely than comparison females to experience bullying regarding their appearance/weight and dating relationships. Findings provide further insight into the unique circumstances of the cyberbullying and in-person bullying experienced by CSA-exposed females. Females exposed to child sexual abuse (CSA) are at an increased risk of experiencing bullying victimization, specifically cyberbullying and combined cyber/in-person bullying, as well as bullying about their appearance and dating relationships. These findings indicate that bullying prevention needs to include trauma-focused components to target these uniquely vulnerable females.

Change in Factors Affecting Cyberbullying of Korean Elementary School Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The importance of social networking and the online environment as core factors in building relationships has grown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited in-person activities. As classes transitioned to online platforms, there was an influx of elementary school students into the cyberspace, increasing the risk of exposure to cyberbullying. This study analyzed the factors influencing the experience of cyberbullying among Korean elementary school students around 2020, when the spread of COVID-19 began in earnest, and thus suggests directions for cyberbullying prevention measures for the post-COVID-19 era. This comparative study used binary logistic regression to analyze data from the "Cyber Violence Survey" conducted by the Korea Communications Commission in 2019 and 2020. The analysis confirmed that interactions between parents and children, cyberbullying control by schools, and recognition of cyberbullying as a problem had statistically significant influences on cyberbullying experience only in 2020 (i.e., when the pandemic began). Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about cyberbullying among elementary school students and taking preventive action through a home-school system to address cyberbullying in the post-COVID-19 era.

Examining Associations Between Race, Gender, Alcohol Use, School Performance, and Patterns of Bullying in the School Context: A Latent Class Analysis

Although many studies addressed bullying occurrence and its associations, they often use individual variables constructed from few items that probably are inadequate to evaluate bullying severity and type. We aimed to identify involvement patterns in bullying victimization and perpetration, and its association with alcohol use, school performance, and sociodemographic variables. Baseline assessment of a randomized controlled trial were used and a latent class analysis was conducted to identify bullying patterns among 1,742 fifth-grade and 2,316 seventh-grade students from 30 public schools in São Paulo, Brazil. Data were collected using an anonymous self-reported, audio-guided questionnaire completed by the participants on smartphones. Multinomial logistic regressions were performed to verify how covariant variables affected bullying latent classes. Both grades presented the same four latent classes: low bullying, moderate bullying victimization, high bullying victimization, and high bullying victimization and perpetration. Alcohol use was associated with all bullying classes in both grades, with odds ratio up to 5.36 (95% CI 3.05; 10.38) among fifth graders from the high bullying victimization and perpetration class. Poor school performance was also strongly associated with this class (aOR = 10.12, 95%CI = 4.19; 24.41). Black/brown 5th graders were 3.35 times more likely to fit into the high bullying victimization class (95% CI 1.34; 8.37). Lack of evidence for association of sociodemographic variables and bullying latent class among seventh-grade students was found. Bullying and alcohol use are highly harmful behaviors that must be prevented. However, prevention programs should consider how racial and gender issues are influencing the way students experience violence.

Racial and ethnic differences in major depressive episode, severe role impairment, and mental health service utilization in U.S. adolescents

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine racial and ethnic variations in national trends, past-year prevalence, determinants of major depressive episode (MDE), MDE-related role impairment and mental health (MH) services utilization in U.S. adolescents.

METHODS

Data was extracted from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from 2010 to 2018. A total of 137,671 nationally representative adolescents aged 12-17 were included in the study. Weighted temporal trends in the past-year prevalence of MDE, and MDE with severe role impairment were estimated both overall and by race and ethnicity. Weighted multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to assess racial/ethnic differences in determinants of MDE, MDE-related severe role impairment, and MH services utilization after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, family structure, substance use, activity participation, and problem-solving group engagement.

RESULTS

The prevalence of MDE and MDE with severe role impairment among U.S. adolescents has steadily increased, while MDE-related health services utilization remained low from 2010 to 2018. Racial and ethnic minority adolescents were more likely to experience an MDE, but less likely to use MH services compared to their White counterparts. Participating in school, family, community, or faith-based activities was significantly associated with lower MDE incidence. Problem-solving group engagement was associated with MH services utilization (all p-values < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

High prevalence of depression and low MH service utilization among U.S. adolescents remains a public health issue. Moreover, racial/ethnic disparities persist in MH and service utilization outcomes. Future research must investigate the burden and predictors of mental illness, and the factors influencing MH services utilization in diverse adolescent populations.

A Latent Transition Analysis of Youth Bullying Victimization Patterns over Time and Their Relations to Delinquency

Peer victimization patterns from elementary school transitioning into late middle school have not been assessed in detail. Even less work has considered how these patterns differ across family context and then are linked to delinquency in adolescence. This study used longitudinal data (n = 2,892) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine peer victimization classification and change over six years while distinguishing across sex and family contexts. Latent transition analysis (LTA) shows that youth can be classified into minor victimization, mainly verbal victimization, and all-type victimization subgroups over time with some sex differences, regardless of whether they were in two-parent families. The majority of the youth were in either the mainly verbal victimization (53% for boys; 42% for girls) or all-type victimization (12% for boys; 21% for girls) statuses when they were about 9 years old, but substantial transition positioned most boys (84%) and girls (82%) in the minor victimization status instead when they were about 15 years old. Youth who were Hispanic, in two-parent families, and more open to parents had a reduced risk of peer victimization, but youth who were in a poor family had an increased risk of peer victimization. Peer victimization statuses were significantly associated with youth delinquency, and there were sex and time differences in the association. In year 9, 45% to 94% of boys and 24% to 75% of girls were involved in delinquency based on their victimization statuses, but the difference was 48% to 67% for boys and 39% to 59% for girls in year 15. The findings suggest developing and implementing peer victimization prevention starting from early elementary school, concurrently addressing peer victimization and delinquency, and paying close attention to sex and family context differences.

Curating Cyberbullying Datasets: a Human-AI Collaborative Approach

Cyberbullying is the use of digital communication tools and spaces to inflict physical, mental, or emotional distress. This serious form of aggression is frequently targeted at, but not limited to, vulnerable populations. A common problem when creating machine learning models to identify cyberbullying is the availability of accurately annotated, reliable, relevant, and diverse datasets. Datasets intended to train models for cyberbullying detection are typically annotated by human participants, which can introduce the following issues: (1) annotator bias, (2) incorrect annotation due to language and cultural barriers, and (3) the inherent subjectivity of the task can naturally create multiple valid labels for a given comment. The result can be a potentially inadequate dataset with one or more of these overlapping issues. We propose two machine learning approaches to identify and filter unambiguous comments in a cyberbullying dataset of roughly 19,000 comments collected from YouTube that was initially annotated using Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). Using consensus filtering methods, comments were classified as unambiguous when an agreement occurred between the AMT workers’ majority label and the unanimous algorithmic filtering label. Comments identified as unambiguous were extracted and used to curate new datasets. We then used an artificial neural network to test for performance on these datasets. Compared to the original dataset, the classifier exhibits a large improvement in performance on modified versions of the dataset and can yield insight into the type of data that is consistently classified as bullying or non-bullying. This annotation approach can be expanded from cyberbullying datasets onto any classification corpus that has a similar complexity in scope.

Bullying and suicide risk among sexual minority youth in the United States

Bullying is associated with increased suicide risk and maladaptive development for sexual minority youth (SMY). The purpose of this study is to determine whether multiple forms of bullying mediate the relationship between biological sex and suicide risk among SMY and to determine whether sexual identity moderates these relationships (i.e., moderated mediation). Data from the 2015-2019 National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey was analyzed using multiple group structural equation modeling with the 5967 youth that self-identified as Lesbian/Gay, Bisexual, or Not sure of their sexual identity. All forms of bullying were associated with suicide risk. After controlling for bullying, Male SMY reported less suicide risk in comparison to female SMY. Female SMY were more likely to be cyberbullied while male SMY were more likely to be threatened or injured with a weapon. Sexual identity did not moderate these relationships. These finding align with the minority stress theory which posits the victimization experiences are linked to negative mental health outcomes among minority youth. Although sexual identity did not moderate these relationships, this study reveals new mechanistic pathways influencing sex-based suicide risk disparities among SMY. Findings can inform future research and the development of suicide prevention interventions that address the unique needs of SMY occurring at the intersection of sex and sexual identity.

Bullying Reporting Concerns as a Mediator Between School Climate and Bullying Victimization/Aggression

This study aimed to examine whether bullying reporting concerns mediate the relationship between school climate and student bullying victimization as well as aggressive behavior. Data were from a sample of 301 students in Grades 6 to 8 in two minority-predominant schools in a large U.S. metropolitan area. Findings from bootstrapped structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses indicated that for male students, a higher level of perceived anti-bullying school climate was negatively associated with bullying reporting concerns, while the reporting concerns subsequently were positively associated with bullying victimization and aggressive behavior. For female students, perceived school climate was not associated with bullying reporting concerns, but the latter were also positively associated with bullying victimization and aggressive behavior. Therefore, bullying reporting concerns mediated the association between perceived school climate and bullying victimization as well as aggressive behavior for male but not female students. The findings suggest the importance of strengthening anti-bullying school climate to help students overcome bullying reporting concerns to achieve effective outcomes. The gender difference of associations between school climate and bullying reporting concerns may reflect the variation of bullying types experienced by male and female students, which calls for attention to the development of anti-bullying strategies that take into account gender differences and address various types of bullying.

Bullying Trends in the United States: A Meta-Regression

The current study used meta-regression to establish trends in bullying from 1998 to 2017, to identify factors that help explain variation in bullying trends, and to determine differences in the trends by gender and grade. This study focused on trends of face-to-face (FTF) bullying victimization and perpetration, cyberbullying victimization, relational bullying victimization, verbal bullying victimization, and physical bullying victimization, as well as characteristics of the youth involved. It also explored methodological and survey differences to help determine which factors contribute to variation from study to study. A systematic search found 91 studies reporting trends of bullying, from 1998 to 2017, that met predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The findings illustrate no significant time trend when looking at FTF bullying victimization, yet an increasing time trend for cyberbullying victimization. Additional trends begin to emerge when stratifying the findings by grade and gender, with FTF bullying victimization among boys declining, while FTF bullying victimization among girls is increasing. Across both FTF bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization, younger adolescents report significantly more bullying than older adolescents, and this is consistent over time. Verbal and physical bullying victimization as well as FTF bullying perpetration have significantly declined over time. This study also identified key variables that contribute to the variation from trend study to trend study. The implications of these findings inform both policy and practice and provide insight into the overall scope of bullying within the United States.

Resiliency in Young Adulthood and Associations among Retrospective Peer Victimization and Internalizing Problems

The social-ecological diathesis-stress model and related empirical work suggests that individuals who experienced peer victimization in childhood are at risk of revictimization and internalizing problems in young adulthood. The current study examined the association between retrospective and current reports of traditional and cyber victimization and internalizing problems, and the buffering effect of resiliency among 1141 young adults. Results indicated that retrospective traditional victimization was positively associated with current traditional and cyber victimization. Retrospective cyber victimization, however, was positively associated with current cyber victimization only. Retrospective traditional and cyber victimization were positively associated with internalizing problems while controlling for current victimization for both males and females. Resiliency buffered the positive association between retrospective cyber victimization, but not traditional victimization, and current internalizing problems. Findings suggest that retrospective accounts of peer victimization may have a lasting impact on symptoms of depression and anxiety for young adults, regardless of current victimization experiences. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the associations among revictimization and mental health, and potential buffering mechanisms, among young adults.

Cyberbullying Prevention for Adolescents: Iterative Qualitative Methods for Mobile Intervention Design

BACKGROUND

Cybervictimization among adolescents is associated with multiple negative mental health consequences. Although pediatricians often screen for cyberbullying, validated and acceptable programs to reduce the frequency and impact of adolescent cybervictimization are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

This study uses agile qualitative methods to refine and evaluate the acceptability of a mixed-modality intervention, initiated within the context of usual pediatric care, for adolescents with a history of cyberharassment and cyberbullying victimization.

METHODS

Three groups of adolescents were successively recruited from an urban primary care clinic to participate in three consecutive iterations (1, 2, and 3) of the program, which consisted of a brief in-clinic intervention followed by 8 weeks of daily, automated SMS text messaging. After 2 weeks of messaging, iteration 1 (I1) participants completed semistructured interviews regarding intervention experiences. Participant feedback was evaluated via framework matrix analysis to guide changes to the program for iteration 2 (I2). Feedback from 2-week interviews of I2 participants was similarly used to improve the program before initiating iteration 3 (I3). Participants in all 3 iterations completed the interviews after completing the program (8 weeks). Daily response rates assessed participant engagement, and satisfaction questionnaires assessed acceptability.

RESULTS

A total of 19 adolescents (aged 13-17 years) reporting past-year cybervictimization were enrolled: 7 in I1, 4 in I2, and 8 in I3. Demographic variables included the following: a mean age of 15 (SD 1.5) years; 58% (11/19) female, 42% (8/19) male, 63% (12/19) Hispanic, 37% (7/19) non-Hispanic, 79% (15/19) people of color, and 21% (4/19) White. A total of 73% (14/19) self-identified as having a low socioeconomic status, and 37% (7/19) self-identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. The average past 12-month cybervictimization score at baseline was 8.2 (SD 6.58; range 2-26). Participant feedback was used to iteratively refine intervention content and design. For example, participants in I1 recommended that the scope of the intervention be expanded to include web-based conflicts and drama, rather than narrowly focusing on cyberbullying prevention. On the basis of this feedback, the I2 content was shifted toward more general de-escalation skills and bystander empowerment. Overall, 88.34% (940/1064) of the daily queries sent to participants across all 3 iterations received a reply. Participant satisfaction improved considerably with each iteration; 0% (0/7) of I1 participants rated the overall quality of Intervention to Prevent Adolescent Cybervictimization with Text message as excellent, compared to 50% (2/4) of I2 participants and 86% (6/7) of I3 participants. Engagement also improved between the first and third iterations, with participants replying to 59.9% (235/392) of messages in I1, compared to 79.9% (358/488) of messages in I3.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows the value of structured participant feedback gathered in an agile intervention refinement methodology for the development of a technology-based intervention targeting adolescents.

Increases in Serious Psychological Distress among Ontario Students between 2013 and 2017: Assessing the Impact of Time Spent on Social Media

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the current research was to examine the association between time spent on social media and serious psychological distress between 2013 and 2017, a period when the rates of both were trending upward.

METHODS

The current study analyzed population-based data from 3 waves of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (N = 15,398). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the association between time spent on social media and serious psychological distress controlling for theoretically relevant covariates. Interactions were tested to assess whether the association changed over time.

RESULTS

The prevalence of serious psychological distress increased from 10.9% in 2013 to 16.8% in 2017 concomitantly with substantial increases in social media usage, especially at the highest levels. In the multivariate context, we found a significant interaction between social media use and the survey year which indicates that the association between time spent on social media and psychological distress has decreased from 2013 to 2017.

CONCLUSION

Although both social media use and psychological distress increased between 2013 and 2017, the interaction between these variables indicates that the strength of this association has decreased over time. This finding suggests that the higher rate of heavy social media use in 2017 compared to 2013 is not actually associated with the higher rate of serious psychological distress during the same time period. From a diffusion of innovation perspective, it is possible that more recent adopters of social media may be less prone to psychological distress. More research is needed to understand the complex and evolving association between social media use and psychological distress. Researchers attempting to isolate the factors associated with the recent increases in psychological distress could benefit from broadening their investigation to factors beyond time spent on social media.

Invited Commentary: The Uneven Gender Revolution and the Gender Gap in Depression in the United States

Women suffer depression at higher rates than men. In a meta-analysis using data from 1982-2017, Platt et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(7):1190-1206) examine trends by age group in the gender depression gap and find no change in the depression gap among adults despite large changes in women's opportunities during the same time period. They do, however, find an increase over time in the gender gap in depression among adolescents. I concur with Platt et al. that likely explanations for their findings involve the social environment. For adult women, the burden of being responsible for the majority of the household labor and the rise in unmarried parenting are likely explanations for why increased paid work opportunities have not resulted in a decrease in the gender gap in depression. For adolescents, the increase might be due to the popularity of social media rising at the same time expectations surrounding beauty and attractiveness heightened for girls and young women. Platt et al. highlight the relationship between the uneven change of the "gender revolution" and depression.

Is the US Gender Gap in Depression Changing Over Time? A Meta-Regression

The depression gap refers to higher rates of depression among women than men. Change in the depression gap over time might elucidate social causes of this disparity-such as unequal college attendance or employment status. We conducted a meta-regression analysis to estimate variation in the depression gap over time by age, accounting for potential sources of variation between studies. Electronic databases and bibliographies were searched for English-language studies from January 1980 through October 2019; 144 independent estimates from US-representative samples met selection criteria (n = 813,189). The depression gap was summarized as prevalence ratios among studies using diagnostic instruments and as standardized mean differences among symptom-based studies. Primary study measures were baseline study year (range, 1982-2017) and age (age groups ranging, in years, from 10-59 and 60 or older). Compared with respondents aged ≥60 years, depression prevalence was greater among respondents aged 10-19 (prevalence ratio = 1.26, 95% confidence interval: 1.02, 1.56). Over time, the depression gap did not change among adults, but it increased among adolescents (age-by-time interaction prevalence ratio = 1.05, 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.08). Results were similar for symptom-based studies. The present study finds no evidence of a change in the depression gender gap for US adults; however, the gap increased among adolescents. Greater attention to factors driving this widening disparity in adolescent depression is needed.

Social Media as a Platform for Cyberbullying of Individuals With Craniofacial Anomalies: A Preliminary Survey

Purpose The primary aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which individuals with facial and/or speech differences secondary to a craniofacial anomaly experienced bullying through social media platforms during late school age and adolescence. Method Using an online survey platform, a questionnaire was distributed via several public and private social media groups designated for individuals with craniofacial anomaly and their caregivers. Results The majority of participants (n = 38; 88.4%) indicated they had been bullied during late school-age and adolescence and that they believed this was due to their facial difference and/or speech disorder (n = 27; 71.1%). Almost one third indicated they had been victims of cyberbullying during this time (n = 12; 31.6%) with the most common venues being texting and Facebook. Despite the large percentage of participants who reported being bullied through social media, half (n = 6) indicated they did not often report these instances of cyberbullying. Conclusions As social media use continues to increase, it appears inevitable that cyberbullying will occur. Particularly vulnerable to both traditional and cyberbullying are individuals with craniofacial anomalies. Because of the specialized training of speech-language pathologists, school-based speech-language pathologists are in a unique position to play a key role in school-wide antibullying efforts and to educate school personnel on ways in which to support the needs of children with craniofacial anomalies both inside and outside of the classroom.

Peer Victimization Exposure and Subsequent Substance Use in Early Adolescence: The Role of Sleep Problems

While sleep problems are positively associated with both peer victimization and substance use, previous studies largely have ignored the indirect role sleep problems may play in this association. This three-wave longitudinal study aimed to determine whether sleep problems might link peer victimization to subsequent substance use. Participants were 986 youth (53.7% female, M_age = 12.32 [SD = 0.54 years], 55.6% White, 24.4% Latinx, 22.8% African American/Black, 11.1% Multiracial/Multiethnic, 13.4% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 6.4% Native American) from three U.S. public middle schools. A structural equation model controlling for multiple potential confounds revealed an indirect effect of peer victimization on substance use through sleep problems. Multiple group analyses indicated that the indirect effect was larger for females than for males. Effects did not differ across school socioeconomic level. The results provide further support to include peer victimization when considering factors that may influence adolescent sleep issues and subsequent substance use.

Electronic and School Bullying Victimization by Race/Ethnicity and Sexual Minority Status in a Nationally Representative Adolescent Sample

PURPOSE

The purpose of the study was to examine the prevalence of electronic and school bullying victimization in sexual and racial/ethnic minorities in a nationally representative U.S. sample of high school students.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from the 2015 and 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2015, n = 15,624; 2017, n = 14,765) were analyzed using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Approximately 15% of the sample reported electronic bullying victimization and 20% reported school bullying victimization. Sexual minority youth were significantly more likely to report both types of bullying than their heterosexual peers, whereas black and Latinx students were significantly less likely to report both types. White students who identified as gay/lesbian or bisexual were more likely to report both types of bullying than white, heterosexual youth. Very few changes were observed in electronic or school bullying victimization from 2015 to 2017, although there was a statistically significant decrease in school bullying among white, heterosexual youth.

CONCLUSIONS

A sizeable number of adolescents experience electronic and school bullying. Sexual minority and white adolescents report a higher prevalence of these phenomena. This may have implications for designing bullying prevention strategies that target sexual minority adolescents to reduce their risk for victimization both online and in school.

Ten-year changes in the psychosocial well-being, psychopathology, substance use, suicidality, bullying, and sense of coherence of 18-year-old males: a Finnish population-based time-trend study

We studied Finnish 18-year-old males attending obligatory military call-up assessments in 1999 (n = 2340) and 2009 (n = 4309) on time-trend changes in psychosocial well-being, psychopathology, substance use, suicidality, bullying, and sense of coherence. Subjects filled in questionnaires, including the Young Adult Self-Report (YASR) for psychopathology and the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (SOC-13) for sense of coherence. The prevalence of minor mental health problems in the last 6 months decreased from 22.3% in 1999 to 18.6% in 2009 (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7-0.9), whereas severe mental health problems remained stable. Suicidal thoughts decreased from 5.7 to 3.7% (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.5-0.8). The use of illicit drugs decreased from 6.0 to 4.7% (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-0.95), but being drunk at least once a week increased from 10.3 to 13.4% (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.5). Attention problems increased in YASR syndrome domains (mean score 2.9 vs 3.2, p < 0.001) and so did somatic complains (mean score 1.7 vs 1.9, p = 0.005). The SOC-13 scores remained stable. The percentage of males who had studied during the past 6 months increased from 91.4 to 93.4% (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.6), while being employed decreased from 64.9 to 49.4% (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.5-0.6). The positive findings included reductions in the prevalence of suicidal thoughts and the use of illicit drugs, but being drunk at least once a week increased. Self-reported somatic problems and attention problems increased. Despite changes in society and family structures, there were only minor overall changes in psychopathology.

Retrospective perceptions of power imbalance in childhood bullying among college students

OBJECTIVE

Bullying is characterized by differences in power between targets and aggressors. This study examines how experiences with power dynamics in childhood bullying are associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety in college.

PARTICIPANTS

First-year college students (N = 470) at four universities reported on childhood bullying victimization and power imbalance.

METHOD

Participants completed an online survey in fall 2012 that assessed childhood bullying victimization and symptoms of depression and anxiety.

RESULTS

Students reporting childhood bullying victimization who indicated they were unable to defend themselves had greater symptoms of anxiety and depression than those who reported victimization but indicated they were able to defend themselves. Qualitative analyses explored why students perceived they could not defend themselves, including factors related to themselves and aggressors.

CONCLUSION

For college students, feeling unable to defend oneself during childhood bullying victimization may be a focus for intervention and help explain diverse college outcomes associated with bullying victimization.

Risk Factors Associated With Bullying at School and Electronic Bullying in U.S. Adolescent Females With Asthma

Although adolescent females with asthma are at increased risk for bullying, relationships between bullying at school and electronic bullying and demographics, mental health issues, and substance use have not specifically been studied in these young women. The purpose of this research was to examine such relationships among adolescent females with asthma. Complex sampling software was used to extrapolate frequencies and χ² analyses to adolescent females with asthma. In this U.S. sample of adolescent females with asthma (n = 1,634), younger age, mental health issues, and substance use were significantly related to bullying at school and electronic bullying, while race/ethnicity and grade in school were significantly related only to bullying at school. In general, findings are consistent with previous research regarding relationships between bullying and risk factors among all U.S. adolescent females. Guidance by school nurses is needed to create effective supports for victimization reduction in this vulnerable group.

Comparing mental distress and help-seeking among first-year medical students in Norway: results of two cross-sectional surveys 20 years apart

OBJECTIVE

To investigate any changes in mental distress levels over 20 years among medical students, as well as the clinical importance of these changes.

DESIGN

Two cross-sectional surveys 20 years apart.

SETTING

The surveys were performed at two Norwegian medical faculties in 1993 and 2015.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred and seventy-four first-year medical students in 1993 were compared with 169 students in 2015.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Mental distress (Hopkins Symptom Checklist 5) and Mental Health Problems in Need of Treatment.

RESULTS

Mental distress increased from 1993 to 2015 (p<0.001) due to a larger increase among female students, which seemed to be of clinical importance (Cohen's d=0.63). There was a significant gender difference in mental distress in 2015 (p=0.007), but not in 1993. Independent factors associated with mental distress in 2015 were female sex (p<0.001), low perceived social support from parents (p=0.023) and low perceived social support from other friends (p=0.048). Additional analyses showed that social support from friends was more important for female students than for their male peers. From 1993 to 2015, there was no significant increase in the proportion of female students reporting previous mental health problems in need of treatment (21.3% vs 27.8%), but we found a significant increase in help-seeking among those in need of treatment over these years from 30.0% (6/20) to 74.3% (26/35; p=0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

We found a significant increase in mental distress among female medical students over the past 20 years, but also a promising increase in help-seeking among those in need of treatment. The strong and important association between low social support and mental distress should urge both universities and students to maintain students' social life after entering medical school.

Did Bullying Victimization Decrease After Nationwide School-Based Antibullying Program? A Time-Trend Study

OBJECTIVE

We assessed changes in traditional and cyberbullying victimization, and their associations with mental health, before and after the introduction of a nationwide antibullying program in Finnish schools in 2009.

METHOD

This time-trend assessment comprised two methodologically identical cross-sectional survey studies, with 2,061 adolescents in 2008 (response rate 90.2%) and 1,936 in 2014 (91.8%). Their mean age was 14.4 years. They completed questionnaires about traditional and cyberbullying, mental health, and perceptions of school safety. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% CIs are presented with 2008 as the reference year.

RESULTS

From 2008 to 2014, traditional victimization decreased from 28.9% to 19.1% (odds ratio [OR] = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.4-0.7) among boys and from 23.2% to 17.4% (OR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.6-0.9) among girls. Cyberbullying victimization remained fairly stable at 3.3% and 3.0% (OR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.4-1.2) for boys and at 2.7% and 4.1% (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 0.9-2.4) for girls. Combined traditional and cyberbullying victimization decreased from 6.1% to 3.9% (OR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.4-0.8) among boys and from 7.5% to 6.7% (OR = 0.8, 95% CI = 0.6-1.2) among girls. Those experiencing both traditional and cyberbullying reported the highest mental health problems. Perceived school safety improved among boys, but not among girls. Both boys and girls reported greater efforts by teachers and fellow students to stop bullying.

CONCLUSION

Combined traditional and cyberbullying victimization was an indicator of comorbid mental health problems. Interventions that target both types of bullying, and that are integrated with mental health promotion, are needed.

What Counts?: A Qualitative Study of Adolescents' Lived Experience With Online Victimization and Cyberbullying

OBJECTIVE

To inform development of cyberbullying interventions that are both accurate and meaningful to all adolescents, this qualitative analysis examines experiences of online peer victimization among a sample of predominately minority and low-income youth.

METHODS

Adolescents ages 13 to 17 years who reported past-year cyberbullying on a previously validated survey were recruited from an urban pediatric clinic to complete semistructured interviews. Interview topics included definitions of cyberbullying, prior cyberbullying experiences, and strategies to reduce cyberbullying and its consequences. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using thematic analysis, study team members applied both structural and emergent codes to transcripts.

RESULTS

Saturation was reached after 23 interviews (mean age 14.8 years; 65% female, 47.8% Hispanic, 35% Black, 74% low socioeconomic status). Four main themes emerged: 1) Teens avoided the term "cyberbullying," due to its association with suicidality and severe depression; they preferentially described experiences (even those meeting criteria for repetition, power differential, etc.) as "online conflict". 2) In-person bullying categories (bully, victim, bully victim, bystander) apply to online conflict. Few identify purely as victims. 3) Cyberbullying is part of a larger continuum of peer violence, including physical fights and in-person bullying. 4) Teens want to help victims of cyberbullying; they desire more guidance in so doing.

CONCLUSIONS

These youth rarely acknowledge presence of cyberbullying; instead, they describe online conflict as part of a larger spectrum of peer violence. Clinicians may consider prevention of a range of conflict-related behaviors (rather than focusing exclusively on cyberbullying), and may consider engaging adolescent bystanders in prevention of online conflict.

Overlap of traditional bullying and cyberbullying and correlates of bullying among Taiwanese adolescents: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Due to the rapid development of information and communication technologies, cyberbullying has emerged as a threat to adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and correlates among profiles of traditional bullying, cyberbullying, and combined bullying among Taiwanese high school students.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study employed two-stage cluster sampling in Taipei City, Taiwan. In total, 2028 high school students completed an anonymous questionnaire between March and May 2018. Nominal logistic regression analysis was performed, adjusting for clustering, to examine the correlates of each type-role category of bullying.

RESULTS

The prevalence rates of cyberbullying, traditional bullying, and combined bullying were 9.9, 13.3, and 9.4%, respectively, indicating that one-third of students were involved in one of these types of bullying; 48.7% of those involved in cyberbullying also experienced traditional bullying, and 41.5% of those involved in traditional bullying also experienced cyberbullying. In any type of bullying, not only being a victim but also being a bully/bully-victim was significantly associated with at least one mental health problem (serious psychological distress, self-harm, or suicidal ideation), except in the case of cyberbullying bullies/bully-victims. Internet abuse and alcohol use were more concentrated among bullies/bully-victims than victims for all types of bullying, and a similar trend was observed among types of schools and school climates, suggesting that specific behavioural circumstances or school backgrounds are associated with bullying perpetration.

CONCLUSIONS

Bullying is a prevalent and complex phenomenon among adolescents in Taiwan, where traditional bullying and cyberbullying frequently overlap and are likely to occur against specific backgrounds. These facts should be taken into account in future bullying prevention and support programmes in Taiwan.

Cybervictimization among secondary students: social networking time, personality traits and parental education

Background

Cyberbullying among children and adolescents is a major public health concern. However, research has not yet definitively identified the risk factors associated with cybervictimization. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of cybervictimization with use of social networks, personality traits and parental education in secondary students.

Methods

The study population consisted of 765 secondary students (56.5% girls) from Majorca (Spain) who were aged 15.99 years (grade 4). The data were from the 16 secondary school centers that participated in the ITACA Project, a multi-center, cluster randomized controlled trial. Cybervictimization was measured by the Garaigordobil Cybervictimization Scale, and the Big Five Questionnaire for Children was used to assess personality traits.

Results

Results showed that 39.9% of the students were cybervictims. Univariate analysis indicated that more girls than boys were cybervictimized (43.1% vs 35.7%). Cybervictims spent more time in social networking sites than non-victims (6 h 30 min vs. 5 h 16 min) and had greater emotional instability (0.16 vs. -0.23) and extraversion (0.11 vs. -0.09) and were less conscientious (− 0.001 vs. 0.20). Multivariable analysis indicated that social networking time was not significantly associated with cybervictimization after controlling for personality traits, but the same personality traits remained significantly associated.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that cyberbullying is a frequent and relevant problem in adolescents. Big Five personality traits are related with cybervictimization. Possible ways to design interventions include promoting social leisure activities, encourage responsible attitudes and provide stress coping tools.

Recent increases in depressive symptoms among US adolescents: trends from 1991 to 2018

BACKGROUND

Mental health problems and mental health related mortality have increased among adolescents, particularly girls. These trends have implications for etiology and prevention and suggest new and emerging risk factors in need of attention. The present study estimated age, period, and cohort effects in depressive symptoms among US nationally representative samples of school attending adolescents from 1991 to 2018.

METHODS

Data are drawn from 1991 to 2018 Monitoring the Future yearly cross-sectional surveys of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students (N = 1,260,159). Depressive symptoms measured with four questions that had consistent wording and data collection procedures across all 28 years. Age-period-cohort effects estimated using the hierarchical age-period-cohort models.

RESULTS

Among girls, depressive symptoms decreased from 1991 to 2011, then reversed course, peaking in 2018; these increases reflected primarily period effects, which compared to the mean of all periods showed a gradual increase starting in 2012 and peaked in 2018 (estimate = 1.15, p < 0.01). Cohort effects were minimal, indicating that increases are observed across all age groups. Among boys, trends were similar although the extent of the increase is less marked compared to girls; there was a declining cohort effect among recently born cohorts, suggesting that increases in depressive symptoms among boys are slower for younger boys compared to older boys in recent years. Trends were generally similar by race/ethnicity and parental education, with a positive cohort effect for Hispanic girls born 1999-2004.

CONCLUSIONS

Depressive symptoms are increasing among teens, especially among girls, consistent with increases in depression and suicide. Population variation in psychiatric disorder symptoms highlight the importance of current environmental determinants of psychiatric disorder risk, and provide evidence of emerging risk factors that may be shaping a new and concerning trend in adolescent mental health.

Prevalence and Psychosocial Predictors of Homophobic Victimization among Adolescents

Bullying and discrimination seriously damage the development and health of adolescents with non-heteronormative sexual orientation. Adolescents from sexual minorities are more likely to be the object of bullying. This research aims to know more about the prevalence, frequency, and some associated factors and predictors of homophobic victimization in adolescents, depending on their sexual orientation. A total of 820 Secondary Schools students took part in this study (average age = 14.87; SD = 1.72; 48.3% were boys and 51.7% were girls) by filling in a self-report questionnaire. The results showed that adolescents suffer homophobic victimization, regardless of their sexual orientation; however, homosexuals and bisexuals suffered it more frequently than heterosexuals. Homophobic victimization could be associated-in heterosexuals and people with doubts about their sexual orientation, positively with bullying victimization, bullying aggression and cyberbullying aggression. Homophobic victimization could be predicted-in heterosexuals, positively due to self-depreciation, and negatively due to communication and relationship skills; and in homosexuals and bisexuals, positively, because of affective empathy. The results are discussed and new lines of study and intervention are proposed.

Bullying Victimization among LGBTQ Youth: Current and Future Directions

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This paper examines recent research on bullying victimization among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth to identify critical issues and advocate for future research priorities.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent studies have begun to document the importance of bullying in general, and bias-based bullying (rooted in stigma) in particular, on the health and wellbeing of this vulnerable subgroup of adolescents, as well as drivers of disparities. Current research demonstrates the role of multiple identities for and important differences among LGBTQ youth and has begun to identify protective factors for youth who are the targets of bullying.

SUMMARY

Researchers, clinicians, and those working with and on behalf of LGBTQ youth must measure and acknowledge the multiple reasons for which LGBTQ youth are the targets of bullying. Intervention and prevention efforts should focus on improving the supportiveness of the climates within which LGBTQ youth live.

Bullying involvement, psychological distress, and short sleep duration among adolescents

PURPOSE

Previous research has found links between involvement in bullying and sleep duration in adolescents. However, little is known about the factors that might mediate these relationships. This study examined the associations between cyberbullying victimization and school bullying involvement (bully, victim, bully-victim) with short sleep duration in a large sample of middle and high school students and tested whether psychological distress mediates these relationships.

METHODS

Data on 5061 students (49% females; mean age = 15.1 years) from the 2015 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey were used. Participants self-reported their sleep duration and their levels of bullying involvement over the past year. Psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler 6 (K6) scale. Covariates in multiple linear regression analyses included age, sex, racial background, socioeconomic status, and substance use.

RESULTS

Being a victim of cyberbullying (β = - 1.179; 95% CI - 0.238; - 0.120) or school bullying (β = - 0.119; 95% CI - 0.190; - 0.049) was associated with short sleep duration. Mediation analyses suggested that psychological distress fully mediates the relationships between being cyberbullied, a school bullying victim or bully-victim with short sleep duration. There was a complementary mediation by psychological distress on the relationship between being a bully at school and short sleep duration.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that higher levels of bullying involvement place adolescents at risk of developing higher psychological distress which, in turn, can lead to short sleep duration. Longitudinal research is necessary to confirm the mediating role of psychological distress on the relationship between bullying involvement and short sleep duration among adolescents.

Cyberbullying victimisation and internalising and externalising problems among adolescents: the moderating role of parent-child relationship and child's sex

AIMS

Previous research has found links between cyberbullying victimisation and internalising and externalising problems among adolescents. However, little is known about the factors that might moderate these relationships. Thus, the present study examined the relationships between cyberbullying victimisation and psychological distress, suicidality, self-rated poor mental health and substance use among adolescents, and tested whether parent-child relationship and child's sex would moderate these relationships.

METHODS

Self-report data on experiences of cyberbullying victimisation, self-rated poor mental health, psychological distress, suicidality and substance use were derived from the 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a province-wide school-based survey of students in grades 7 through 12 aged 11-20 years (N = 5478). Logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, subjective socioeconomic status and involvement in physical fighting, bullying victimisation and perpetration at school.

RESULTS

Cyberbullying victimisation was associated with self-rated poor mental health (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.15; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.64-2.81), psychological distress (OR 2.41; 95% CI 1.90-3.06), suicidal ideation (OR 2.38; 95% CI 1.83-3.08) and attempts (OR 2.07; 95% CI 1.27-3.38), smoking tobacco cigarette (OR 1.96; 95% CI 1.45-2.65), cannabis use (OR 1.82; 95% CI 1.32-2.51), and binge drinking (OR 1.44; 95% CI 1.03-2.02). The association between cyberbullying victimisation and psychological distress was modified by parent-child relationship and child's sex (three-way interaction term p < 0.05). The association between cyberbullying victimisation and psychological distress was much stronger among boys who have a negative relationship with their parents.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that cyberbullying victimisation is strongly associated with psychological distress in most adolescents with the exception of males who get along well with their parents. Further research using a longitudinal design is necessary to disentangle the interrelationship among child's sex, parent-child relationship, cyberbullying victimisation and mental health outcomes among adolescents in order to improve ongoing mental health prevention efforts.

Connecting Online and Offline Social Skills to Adolescents' Peer Victimization and Psychological Adjustment

Peer victimization is a common experience among high school students and is associated with many negative adjustment outcomes, making it necessary to investigate the individual and contextual factors that may ameliorate the consequences of peer victimization. The current study explores whether social competence offline and online mediates the relationship between peer victimization and psychological adjustment for adolescents. High school students (n = 303, M_age = 15.83, 65.2% female) reported about their peer victimization experiences, social skills, perceptions of peers' acceptance offline and social media acceptance, and self-worth. By considering both online and offline contexts, the underlying assumption that there are important differences between the two contexts and that these differences have a unique impact on teens who experience peer victimization was tested. The results indicate that teens who experience peer-victimization have deficits in both their offline and online social competence. Path analysis revealed that offline social skills mediate the relationship between peer victimization and self-worth. Also, there was a modest correlation between the indicators of offline social skills and online social skills indicating that they are not identical and have different associations with self-worth. Since teens are interacting with social media as another context of their everyday life, the implications for interventions aimed at targets of peer-victimization are meaningful.

Disparities in Health Risk Behaviors and Health Conditions Among Rhode Island Sexual Minority and Unsure High School Students

BACKGROUND

Sexual minority students have higher risk for health-related behaviors. We examined 5 domains including 34 health risk behaviors and health conditions among sexual minorities and unsure students in Rhode Island. We also included sexual contact of heterosexually identified students to capture heterosexually identified students who may be considered sexual minorities by their behavior.

METHODS

We used the 2007-2015 Rhode Island Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (N = 14,264). We categorized students into 4 groups: students self-identified as heterosexual and reported no sexual contact with same sex only or both sexes (group 1); self-identified as heterosexual and reported sexual contact with same sex only or both sexes (group 2); self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual (group 3); and responded as unsure (group 4). We used multivariable adjusted logistic regression analyses to evaluate associations of sexual minority and unsure students with 34 health risk behaviors and health conditions accounting for complex sampling design.

RESULTS

Students in groups 2-4 were more likely to engage in health-risk behaviors including violent behaviors, attempted suicide, substance use, and no physical activity than their peers.

CONCLUSIONS

As sexual minority youth continue to report higher rates of health-related risk behaviors, targeted evidence-based prevention approaches must focus on reducing these risk behaviors among those youth.

Propiedades Psicométricas de la Adaptación al Español de la Participant Role Approach (PRA)

El estudio se propuso analizar las propiedades psicométricas del Participant Role Appoach (PRA) para medir roles de espectadores en el acoso escolar en niños mexicanos. Participaron Participaron 787 estudiantes, 415 (52.7 %) niños (M edad = 10.59, DE = .66 años) y 372 (47.3 %) niñas (M edad = 10.51, DE = .64 años). Los resultados del análisis factorial confirmatorio sugieren que el modelo de tres roles (pro-acoso, pro-social y no comprometido) se ajusta mejor que el de cuatro roles (alentador, asistente, defensor y no comprometido). La PRA presenta invariancia de medición en ambos sexos, y evidencias de validez concurrente. Se concluyó que la escala posee propiedades psicométricas adecuadas para la medición de roles de espectadores.

Trends in depression prevalence in the USA from 2005 to 2015: widening disparities in vulnerable groups

BACKGROUND

Major depression is associated with significant disability, morbidity, and mortality. The current study estimated trends in the prevalence of major depression in the US population from 2005 to 2015 overall and by demographic subgroups.

METHODS

Data were drawn from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual cross-sectional study of US persons ages 12 and over (total analytic sample N = 607 520). Past-year depression prevalence was examined annually among respondents from 2005 to 2015. Time trends in depression prevalence stratified by survey year were tested using logistic regression. Data were re-analyzed stratified by age, gender, race/ethnicity, income, and education.

RESULTS

Depression prevalence increased significantly in the USA from 2005 to 2015, before and after controlling for demographics. Increases in depression were significant for the youngest and oldest age groups, men, and women, Non-Hispanic White persons, the lowest income group, and the highest education and income groups. A significant year × demographic interaction was found for age. The rate of increase in depression was significantly more rapid among youth relative to all older age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of depression increased significantly in the USA from 2005 to 2015. The rate of increase in depression among youth was significantly more rapid relative to older groups. Further research into understanding the macro level, micro level, and individual factors that are contributing to the increase in depression, including factors specific to demographic subgroups, would help to direct public health prevention and intervention efforts.

Cyberbullying and LGBTQ Youth: A Systematic Literature Review and Recommendations for Prevention and Intervention

Research has demonstrated that cyberbullying has adverse physical and mental health consequences for youths. Unfortunately, most studies have focused on heterosexual and cisgender individuals. The scant available research on sexual minority and gender expansive youth (i.e., LGBTQ) shows that this group is at a higher risk for cyberbullying when compared to their heterosexual counterparts. However, to date no literature review has comprehensively explored the effects of cyberbullying on LGBTQ youth. A systematic review resulted in 27 empirical studies that explore the effects of cyberbullying on LGBTQ youth. Findings revealed that the percentage of cyberbullying among LGBTQ youth ranges between 10.5% and 71.3% across studies. Common negative effects of cyberbullying of LGBTQ youth include psychological and emotional (suicidal ideation and attempt, depression, lower self-esteem), behavioral (physical aggression, body image, isolation), and academic performance (lower GPAs). Recommendations and interventions for students, schools, and parents are discussed.

Correlation of Minority Status, Cyberbullying, and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study of 1031 Adolescents

Adolescent cyberbullying is increasingly prevalent. Depression and suicidal ideation are also common, particularly among minority adolescents and cyberbullied adolescents. Little data exists to establish whether minority cyberbullied adolescents are at greater risk of negative mental health outcomes associated with cyberbullying. This cross-sectional study of 1031 adolescents presenting to an emergency room examines the prevalence of cyberbullying in minority and non-minority populations. Using logistic regression, we compared mental health symptoms between minority and non-minority cyberbullying-involved adolescents (accounting for demographic factors), and examined the correlation between use of multiple forms of online technology, minority status, and prevalence of cyberbullying. Sexual orientation was the only demographic factor to strongly correlate with cyberbullying involvement or to correlate with negative mental health symptoms. Increased use of social media platforms also correlated with cyberbullying involvement. This analysis provides a baseline for future work around targeted cyberbullying interventions for minority adolescent populations.

Longitudinal Relations among Cyber, Physical, and Relational Bullying and Victimization: Comparing Majority and Minority Ethnic Youth

Findings from myriad studies have shown that cyberbullying perpetration is significantly positively correlated with relational and physical bullying perpetration in youth. Furthermore, similar trends have been found for victimization type. Despite the wealth of research testing the predictors of both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization, few studies have tested whether belonging to an ethnic minority moderates these effects. The current study sampled 828 youth in the United States. All participants completed measures of cyber, relational, and physical bullying perpetration and victimization two times during the school year. We classified youth into majority (Caucasian) and minority (non-Caucasian) groups based on the ethnicity makeup of the sample. Results showed that majority participants reported less physical bullying, more physical victimization at Time 1, more cyberbullying perpetration at Time 1, more frequency cyberbullying victimization at both data collection times, and higher relational victimization at Time 1. Subsequent longitudinal grouped path model results showed that participant group status (majority vs. minority ethnicity) moderated the relation between Time 1 physical bullying and Time 2 cyberbullying perpetration, the relationship between Time 1 cybervictimization and Time 2 cyberbullying, and the relationship between Time 1 relational victimization and cyber victimization We believe these results highlight the importance of testing ethnicity as a potential moderator in the literature examining predictors of both cyber bullying perpetration and victimization.

Cyberbullying and Social Media: Information and Interventions for School Nurses Working With Victims, Students, and Families

Social media has become an increasingly prevalent fixture in youths' lives, with over 90% of teenagers reporting daily usage. These online sites and applications have provided many positive opportunities for youths to connect and share ideas with others; however, social media has also become a major platform for cyberbullying. Victims often experience negative health outcomes directly related to cyberbullying. For this reason, it is critical that third parties, such as school nurses, are well versed in social media and the warning signs of those being victimized by cyberbullying. Therefore, this integrative review examines school nurses' knowledge of cyberbullying and social media and identifies the implications for school nursing practice regarding prevention and intervention processes.