Moral Disengagement and Risk Prototypes in the Context of Adolescent Cyberbullying: Findings From Two Countries

Integrating a Strategic Framework to Improve Health Education in Schools in South Tyrol, Italy

This narrative review addresses the integration of health education into school curricula in South Tyrol, an Italian province with significant cultural and linguistic diversity. This review's objective is to analyze current health education initiatives and propose a strategic framework to enhance school-based health education, aiming to improve student well-being post-pandemic. The review synthesizes global examples and recent local studies, highlighting the importance of comprehensive teacher training, mindfulness-based interventions, culturally sensitive health education, and community engagement. The key findings indicate that current health education programs in South Tyrol are insufficient to meet immediate public health needs, such as low vaccine uptake and mental health challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed strategic framework seeks to align educational strategies with the diverse needs of South Tyrol's student population, thereby improving health literacy and behavior and strengthening the region's public health infrastructure.

Unpacking public resistance to health Chatbots: a parallel mediation analysis

Introduction

Despite the numerous potential benefits of health chatbots for personal health management, a substantial proportion of people oppose the use of such software applications. Building on the innovation resistance theory (IRT) and the prototype willingness model (PWM), this study investigated the functional barriers, psychological barriers, and negative prototype perception antecedents of individuals' resistance to health chatbots, as well as the rational and irrational psychological mechanisms underlying their linkages.

Methods

Data from 398 participants were used to construct a partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM).

Results

Resistance intention mediated the relationship between functional barriers, psychological barriers, and resistance behavioral tendency, respectively. Furthermore, The relationship between negative prototype perceptions and resistance behavioral tendency was mediated by resistance intention and resistance willingness. Moreover, negative prototype perceptions were a more effective predictor of resistance behavioral tendency through resistance willingness than functional and psychological barriers.

Discussion

By investigating the role of irrational factors in health chatbot resistance, this study expands the scope of the IRT to explain the psychological mechanisms underlying individuals' resistance to health chatbots. Interventions to address people's resistance to health chatbots are discussed.

Adolescent Aggressive Riding Behavior: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Prototype Willingness Model

Cycling has always been popular in China, especially during the years when the government encouraged green travel. Many people participate in rides to ease traffic congestion and increase transfer convenience. Due to the disorganized and tidal nature of cycling, cyclists create many conflicts with other groups. Adolescents are vulnerable road users with a strong curiosity and risk-taking mindset. Identifying the factors influencing adolescents’ aggressive riding behavior can assist in developing strategies to prevent this behavior. An online questionnaire was used to collect data on bicycling among students in a middle school in Guangzhou, China. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and prototype willingness model (PWM) have been applied to study travel behavior and adolescent risk behavior. To investigate the impact of psychological variables on adolescent aggressive behavior, we used TPB, PWM, TPB + PWM, and an integrated model. Behavioral intentions are greatly influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Both descriptive and moral norms played a role in behavioral willingness. The integrated model explained 18.3% more behavioral variance than the TPB model. The social reactive pathway explained more variance in behavior than the rational path.

A Meta-Analytic Review of Moral Disengagement and Cyberbullying

With the development of technology, cyberbullying prevalence rates are increasing worldwide, and a growing body of the literature has begun to document cyberbullying behavior. Moral disengagement is often considered a key correlate factor in cyberbullying. This article aims to conduct a meta-analysis review of the relationship between moral disengagement and cyberbullying and some psychosocial and cultural variables. Based on the PRISMA method, a random-effects meta-analysis is employed in this study to obtain reliable estimates of effect sizes and examine a range of moderators (age, gender, measure method, and cultural background). Relevant studies, published from 2005 to February 30, 2021, were identified through a systematic search of the Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Pubmed, EBSCO, and Wiley Online Library. Finally, 38 studies (N=38,425) met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis conclusion demonstrated that moral disengagement positively correlated medium intensity with cyberbullying (r=0.341). Age, gender, and cultural background had moderated the relationship between moral disengagement and cyberbullying.