Bullying and Cyberbullying among Italian Adolescents: The Influence of Psychosocial Factors on Violent Behaviours

The Role of Coping Styles in Mediating the Dark Triad and Bullying: An Analysis of Gender Difference

Recently, the phenomenon of school bullying has gradually become a primary focus of social attention. To reduce the occurrence of bullying, it is important that we explore the psychological mechanisms of students with bullying tendencies. We conducted mediation models through a multi-group analysis to verify the mediating effect of coping styles on the relationship between dark personality traits and bullying, and further explored the differences in this mechanism between male and female groups. The participants were 772 high school students recruited from a middle school in Tianjin, China. They completed a set of self-reported measurements including the Dirty Dozen (DD), Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), and Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ). All the measurement instruments have acceptable reliability and validity. The results of the multi-group multiple models indicated that (1) there are significant gender differences in bullying behavior, with males scoring significantly higher than females. Moreover, the gender difference was only reflected in proactive aggression, in which males had higher scores than females; there was no significant gender difference in reactive aggression. (2) In the group of females, both negative and positive coping styles partially moderated the relationship between the Dark Triad and bullying. However, in the group of males, only negative coping styles partially mediated the relationship between the Dark Triad and bullying. (3) The above results also held for proactive aggression. In conclusion, our study highlights the gender differences in the mediating effect of coping styles on the relationship between the Dark Triad and bullying and proactive aggression. These findings contribute to better shared understanding of gender-related aspects in school bullying.

A study on the effects of college students' knowledge-sharing behavior on group performance and individual social status

Introduction

Universities, as typical knowledge-based organizations, engage in various knowledge management activities, including knowledge acquisition, storage, application, and innovation. This research focuses on applying organizational knowledge management principles to college student groups in universities, aiming to explore the current state of knowledge-sharing behaviors within these groups and investigate the relationship between group performance, individual social status, and knowledge-sharing behaviors.

Methods

A sample of 497 college students from six universities in China was randomly selected, and an econometric analysis using structural equation modeling was conducted with SPSS21.0 and AMOS21.0 to examine their knowledge-sharing behaviors, individual social status, and group performance.

Results

The findings reveal that individual knowledge-sharing behavior significantly influences the knowledge sharing behavior of others and the recognition received by the sharer. Moreover, the knowledge-sharing behavior of others positively contributes to group performance, while recognition from others enhances the social status of the sharer. Furthermore, the knowledge-sharing behaviors of others mediate the relationship between individual knowledge-sharing behaviors and group performance, while others' recognition of the sharer mediates the relationship between individual knowledge-sharing behaviors and the sharer's social status. This study provides valuable theoretical guidance for organizational knowledge management and the development of college students' learning abilities, establishing a crucial foundation for comprehensive, scientific, and standardized student management.

Conclusion

Overall, this research contributes to understanding the dynamics of knowledge sharing among college students and highlights the importance of incorporating knowledge management principles in educational settings. The findings underscore the positive impact of knowledge sharing on group performance and individual social status, emphasizing the need for effective knowledge sharing practices to enhance student management in higher education institutions.

Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization Prevalence among Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review

In light of the alarming results emerging from some studies and reports on the significant increase in aggressive online behaviors among children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic, the current research aimed at providing a more detailed evaluation of the investigations focusing on the cyberbullying prevalence rates published between 2020 and 2023. To this purpose, systematic searches were conducted on four databases (Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, Scopus and Google Scholar), and following PRISMA guidelines, 16 studies were included and qualitatively reviewed. Although studies were characterized by a large variety in cyberbullying operationalization and measurement, and by different methodologies used for data collection, the prevalence rates of the involvement in cyberbullying and/or cybervictimization generally revealed opposite trends: an increase in many Asian countries and Australia and a decrease in Western countries. The findings were also discussed by considering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, some suggestions were provided to policy makers for promoting prevention and intervention anti-cyberbullying programs in school contexts.

Perpetration and Victimization in Offline and Cyber Contexts: A Variable- and Person-Oriented Examination of Associations and Differences Regarding Domain-Specific Self-Esteem and School Adjustment

Self-esteem has been identified as a predictor of bullying perpetration and victimization, which, in turn, may lead to school adjustment problems. However, findings regarding the direction and strength of these associations have been inconclusive. This study aimed to resolve this by differentiating between offline and cyber contexts and various self-esteem domains. An online sample of 459 adolescents retrospectively completed measures of self-esteem domains and offline/cyber perpetration and victimization, and a subsample of 194 adolescents also completed measures of loneliness and school adjustment. A mediation analysis of bullying-related variables on the effect of self-esteem domains on school adjustment indicated that offline victimization was the only significant mediator. Positive indirect effects were found for social and emotional self-esteem, and negative indirect effects were found for school performance-related self-esteem. Furthermore, person-oriented analyses examined differences in bullying-related roles regarding self-esteem domains, loneliness, and school adjustment. Victim groups showed lower self-esteem in many domains, but cyber victims showed higher body-related self-esteem. Bullies showed lower school performance-related but higher social self-esteem. Both bullies and victims showed lower school adjustment and more loneliness. Implications for theory and practice are discussed, as the findings are relevant for teachers and could be used to develop and deploy more effective anti-bullying programs.

The Role of Verbal Aggression in Cyberbullying Perpetration and Victimization by Middle School Students

This manuscript examined the role trait verbal aggression plays in cyberbullying victimization and perpetration in adolescence. More than 400 middle school students (46.8% males and 52.2% females) completed a questionnaire on trait verbal aggression and their history of cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Linear regression analyses revealed that trait verbal aggression was a statistically significant predictor of both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization, that cyberbullying perpetration and cyberbullying victimization are related, and that cyberbullying perpetration appears to increase with age, while cyberbullying victimization does not. Ideas and implications for future applications of verbal aggression and cyberbullying are discussed.