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 victimisation among adolescents in China: Coping strategies and the role of self-compassion

Coping strategies have the ability to reduce immediate and long-term stress from cyberbullying experiences. This study compares the perceptions of cyberbullying victims and non-victims in relation to the coping strategies for different types of cyberbullying victimisation. A group of 1,339 Chinese adolescents from vocational schools in Jiangxi province participated in the study. Effects of demographic factors, cyberbullying victimisation and self-compassion on coping strategies were computed with logistic regression analysis. Results showed that cyberbullying victims indicated a stronger preference towards doing nothing, or to rely on themselves, instead of seeking help. Both victims and non-victims indicated 'Asking a parent/family for help' as the first choice across all victimisation types. The effects of self-compassion on coping with cyberbullying were found to be significant. This study provides evidence that can be used to enhance policy and practice for effectively enabling parents and professionals' involvement in cyberbullying intervention. Cyberbullying prevention programs should therefore arm parents with the knowledge to provide support to, and strengthen self-compassion of children, to modulate positive coping emotions and cyber behaviour.

Fear of Evaluation and Online Self-Disclosure on WeChat: Moderating Effects of Protective Face Orientation

Fear of evaluation is a key factor that affects how social media users present themselves to others, but little is known about the effects and mechanisms involved, especially on the relationship between fear of positive evaluation and online self-disclosure. This study explores how fear of evaluation affects online self-disclosure and examines how this relationship is moderated by protective face orientation in the Chinese context. A total of 750 Chinese WeChat users constituted the sample for a questionnaire-based analysis and regression analysis. The results showed that both fear of positive evaluation and fear of negative evaluation had a significant negative effect on the amount of online self-disclosure and a significant positive effect on the depth of online self-disclosure. Protective face orientation had a moderating effect on the relationship between fear of evaluation and online self-disclosure for both the amount and depth of online self-disclosure. Our findings suggest that social network site (SNS) users' fear of evaluation can be attributed to their cognitive attitude toward the external environment, and the loss of face in the Chinese context can be included in the social context.

Role of social anxiety on high engagement and addictive behavior in the context of social networking sites

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to tackle the problem of technology addiction by investigating the differences between the antecedences of addictive (problematic technology usage) and high-engagement behavior (non-problematic technology usage). The case of social networking site usage (SNS, e.g. Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) is taken as the case out of the reason of prevalent user population.

Design/methodology/approach

It is revealed that people tend to use SNS not only for building a relationship, but also for communicating. In other words, there are inner needs of adopting the SNS technology. However, no clear definitions can be followed for determining the problematic SNS usage, addictive behavior and the high-engagement behavior. Therefore, this study adopts the notion of uses and gratification theory (U&G theory) for investigating the SNS usage behavior. Also, the social anxiety is also first introduced to integrate into the research for an empirical study.

Findings

Results reveal that gratification sought and relationship maintenance are associated with the addictive behavior, whereas the relationship maintenance is significantly related to high-engagement behavior.

Research limitations/implications

First, the selected data represents a sample of SNW users in the Asian Pacific region and mainly from the group of young college users. Therefore, caution must be taken when generalizing the findings to other SNW users or groups. Second, the time aspect related to social media dependence may need to be considered in future studies. Third, the authors found marginal support for the influence of intentions of high engagement¸ and future studies may consider applying other theories that could better explain these types of behavior.

Practical implications

The results of this study provide strong evidence that inner anxiety perceived by users should not be neglected while tackling the problematic internet use due to SNW addiction because it can strengthen the force for depending on SNW for seeking social support. Apart from the value of perceived enjoyment as asserted in previous studies, this study opens up a new opportunity to tackle SNW dependence.

Social implications

The key implication of this research is that the impact of the mental health of users on SNW problematic should not be overlooked . The higher the level of anxiety perceived, the more likely is the SNW dependence. Therefore, the online behavior depending on psychological health should be addressed because it may be a critical point for assisting users to adopt SNW wisely.

Originality/value

This study confirms that social anxiety people experience in real (offline) life has impacts on online behavior of SNS usage (online). It suggests that the difference between users as the perceived level of social anxiety can trigger different levels of SNS usage. Second, U&G theory is proven valid in understanding SNS addiction. Third, relationship maintenance through the use of SNS reveals its dissimilar effects on SNS addiction and high engagement.

Doxing Victimization and Emotional Problems among Secondary School Students in Hong Kong

Doxing is the searching for and intentional disclosure of private information about a particular individual on the Internet without his or her consent, and is often used to exact punishment. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between doxing victimization and emotional problems in secondary school students, paying particular regard to the impacts of different types of doxed information, the relationship between the perpetrators and victims of doxing, and the nature of the online platforms where doxing occurs. A sample of 2120 Hong Kong secondary school students of differing socioeconomic backgrounds participated in the study. The results show that almost all types of disclosed personal information result in negative feelings in victims, including depression, anxiety, and stress. Girls were also found to be more likely than boys to be doxed. Significant associations were found between emotional problems and the disclosure of mobile phone numbers and personal photos and videos; doxing conducted by schoolmates and anxiety and depression, and doxing through Instant Messenger and anxiety. Further exploration of integrated cyber violence prevention programs and research on the details of doxing are recommended.

Applications and applicability of Social Cognitive Theory in information science research

Social Cognitive Theory is a theory that derives from Psychology yet has been adopted in other interdisciplinary subject areas, including information science. The origins and key concepts of Social Cognitive Theory are presented, and the value of its contributions to information science research analysed, with particular reference to research into information-seeking behaviour and use and knowledge sharing. Prior applications of Social Cognitive Theory in information science research are related to a study of employee-led workplace learning and innovative work behaviour that has been designed to create new insight on: (1) workplace information literacy; (2) knowledge management; and (3) the relationship between information behaviours and innovation processes. It is anticipated that this research will also extend understandings of Social Cognitive Theory as a valuable tool for theory development across a range of domains that focus on learning processes.