IMPACTS OF TRADITIONAL BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

A critical debate within the field of school psychology has centered on the relationship between bullying and cyberbullying in terms of prevalence, overlap, and impact. The current study sought to address the following questions: (1) Does cyberbullying create new victims or merely a new means of victimization? (2) Does cyberbullying uniquely contribute to negative outcomes above and beyond those of traditional bullying? Utilizing an anonymous survey to examine students’ experiences with cyberbullying, traditional bullying, and negative psychological symptoms, it was found that the vast majority of students who were bullied online were also victims of in‐person bullying. Both forms of victimization were independently associated with negative outcomes. However, when controlling for traditional bullying, cyberbullying did not remain a predictor of negative mental health outcomes. In contrast, when controlling for cyberbullying, traditional bullying remained a significant predictor of negative mental health outcomes. These results suggest that although traditional and cyber forms of bullying tend to target the same victims, traditional bullying is more uniquely associated with negative psychological outcomes.     

THE ROLE OF PEER ATTACHMENT AND NORMATIVE BELIEFS ABOUT AGGRESSION ON TRADITIONAL BULLYING AND CYBERBULLYING

This study examined the effects of normative beliefs about aggression and peer attachment on traditional bullying, cyberbullying, and both types of victimization. Cyberbullying departs from traditional forms of bullying in that it is through forms of technology, such as the Internet, which increases situational anonymity. Eight hundred fifty students in Grades 6 through 8 completed a survey that assessed normative beliefs about aggression, peer attachment, and traditional bullying and cyberbullying behaviors, which suggested that students who are involved with traditional bullying are also involved in cyberbullying. Adolescents with higher normative beliefs about aggression are more likely to be traditional bullies, traditional victims, cyberbullies, and cybervictims. Additionally, peer attachment was found to be negatively associated with both types of bullying and victimization. Implications and future directions are discussed.     

Perceived severity of cyberbullying behaviour: differences between genders,grades and participant roles

This study aimed to develop a new scale to examine primary and secondary school students’ perceptions of the severity of cyberbullying behaviours, and to explore further whether differences exist in the means of gender, grade and participant role. A total of 707 primary and secondary school students (M = 14.7) in Taiwan participated in this study. Two Olweus-like global items were used to identify students’ participant roles. A self-reported cyberbullying severity scale (CSS) was developed and validated by Rasch measurement. Results of this study supported the reliability and validity of the 16-item CSS. Impersonation was rated as the most serious type of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying behaviours that occurred in private were rated as less severe than were those that occurred in public. A Rasch latent regression analysis revealed that some gender and involvement effects were found, but no statistically significant difference was found among means of four participant roles. The behavioural hierarchy of cyberbullying severity, mean differences among personal attributions and cyberbullying intervention are discussed at the end of the article.     

Examining the Role of Gender in the Prevalence of Campus Victimization,Perceptions of Fear and Risk of Crime,and the Use of Constrained Behaviors among College Students Attending a Large Urban University

The incidence and the impact of crime on college campuses are important issues for students and administrators alike. This study examines experiences with victimization and perceptions of crime on campus with a convenience sample of 997 students attending an urban university in Colorado. Approximately 8% of the student respondents indicated they had been victimized by at least one type of crime since first enrolling at the university. Respondents indicated low‐to‐moderate levels of fear and perceived risk of victimization on campus and viewed the campus as being moderately safe. Male and female respondents did not significantly differ in victimization rates, although gender differences were found in levels of fear, perceived risk of victimization, constrained behavior, and perceptions of overall safety on campus. The results from this study are compared to findings from the work of Jennings, Gover, and Pudrzynska in 2007, which examined campus crime among students at a traditional university, published in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education.     

Family poly-victimization and cyberbullying among adolescents in a Chinese school sample

The sustained increase in their use of social networking facilitates the development of adolescents but comes with the risk of cyberbullying, which creates new challenges in regard to adolescent protection. Past evidence shows that family victimization may play an essential role in the way adolescents learn cyberbullying behaviors. Yet, research on the co-occurrence of family victimization and cyberbullying is limited. This study aims to investigate the associations between cyberbullying and family victimization among adolescents, and to examine the health correlates of cyberbullying and family poly-victimization. A large sample of 18,341 students, aged 15–17, from six cities in China, collected between 2009 and 2010 is employed in the present study, which investigated the association between various kinds of family victimization and adolescent cyberbullying. Data analysis was conducted in 2017. In-law conflict, intimate partner violence, elder abuse and neglect, and child maltreatment were associated with a higher possibility of children becoming internet victims. Parents’ divorce and separation, low family income, mother’s low level of education, and father’s unemployment were all associated with cyberbullying victimization. Cyber victimization was positively correlated to symptoms of PTSD and depression, self-harm, and other physical and mental health variables. Possible explanations for the relationships found in this study are discussed and implications for future research and services are provided. Proactive screening for family poly-victimization and cyberbullying is suggested. Schools are highly recommended to cooperate with parents to promote cyber safety.     

大学生网络受欺凌与网络欺凌的关系:手机成瘾与父母情感温暖的作用

采用网络欺凌问卷、大学生手机成瘾倾向问卷和父母情感温暖问卷,调查了906名大学生,考察了手机成瘾在网络受欺凌与网络欺凌间的中介效应,探究了父母情感温暖对这一中介过程的调节效应。发现:网络受欺凌、手机成瘾、网络欺凌两两之间存在显著正相关;手机成瘾在网络受欺凌与网络欺凌中发挥部分中介作用;父母情感温暖在这一中介路径中起到调节作用。具体而言,随着母亲情感温暖水平的提高,网络受欺凌通过手机成瘾对网络欺凌的间接作用会减弱;然而,随着父亲情感温暖水平的提高,网络受欺凌通过手机成瘾对网络欺凌的间接作用会增强。大学生网络受欺凌既能直接影响网络欺凌,也可通过手机成瘾产生间接影响,高校心理健康教育应合理利用父母情感温暖对大学生网络欺凌与成瘾行为的干预作用,避免网络欺凌在高校的恶性循环。     

Reaching the non-traditional stopout population: a segmentation approach

An estimated 21% of 25–34-year-olds in the United States, about eight million individuals, have attended college and quit before completing a degree. These non-traditional students may or may not return to college. Those who return to college are referred to as stopouts, whereas those who do not return are referred to as stayouts. In the face of declining pools of traditional students, colleges and universities have attempted to induce these students to return to higher education. Regrettably, little is known about the intentions and attitudes of these young adults after they have left higher education. This paper uses segmentation and targeting to identify those students who intend to return to college and those who do not. Using demographic and psychographic variables, five unique segments are identified. The study recommends strategies for reaching those segments which are most likely to return to higher education.     

试论大学生的犯罪被害性及其被害预防

日趋严重的大学生犯罪问题的一个重要特点,就是犯罪加害人与犯罪被害人同时为在校大学生的案件占有很大比例。因此,借鉴现代被害人学的理论成果,深入研究当今大学生作为潜在犯罪被害人自身存在的被害条件,全面揭示大学生的刑事犯罪被害性,并针对性地制定和落实大学生犯罪被害预防措施,是有效预防和减少大学生犯罪现象的重要途径。     

A META‐ANALYSIS OF THE PREDICTORS OF CYBERBULLYING PERPETRATION AND VICTIMIZATION

Previous studies so far have investigated various aspects of cyberbullying. Using meta‐analytic approaches, the study was primarily to determine the target factors predicting individuals’ perpetration and victimization in cyberbullying. A meta‐analysis of 77 studies containing 418 primary effect sizes was conducted to exam the relative magnitude of demographic, individual, and contextual predictors. Several study characteristics (i.e., sample age, sample gender, study location, publication status, and publication year) were further analyzed as moderators. The results showed the average effect size of each predictor for both cyberbully and cybervictim groups. Several significant shared and unique predictors were identified as important factors for designing effective prevention and intervention programs. The implications of the findings for future research were discussed in relation to interventions on cyberbullying.     

Risk and protective factors associated with cyberbullying: Are relationships or rules more protective?

The aim of this paper is to investigate which adolescents are most and least at risk of experiencing online victimization. The results of logistic regression analyses using data on 2079 adolescents attending secondary school in Bermuda indicate that not all forms of media use place adolescents at risk of experiencing cyberbullying. Adolescents who spent more time using their cell phone were more likely to report having received an aggressive or threatening electronic communication and having had someone say nasty things about them online. There was no such relationship between time on the internet and either form of online victimization. The findings also suggest that strong parent relationships and positive experiences at school are generally more protective against cyberbullying than adults’ restrictions on adolescents’ media use. These findings contribute important insight into strategies that hold promise for decreasing cyberbullying among adolescents.     

Prevalence and Predictors of Cyberbullying Perpetration by High School Seniors

Cyberbullying is the deliberate and repeated misuse of communication technology by an individual or group to threaten or harm others. Guided largely by the communication skills deficiency model and previous research on cyberbullying, this study examins the effects of several predictor variables (i.e., verbal aggression, sex, risky behaviors, parental monitoring, parental limits, technology use, and scope of Internet activities) on cyberbullying perpetration. A total of 1,606 incoming freshmen at a large southwestern university completed an online survey measuring all predictor and dependent variables under investigation. Overall, 35% of these individuals reported that they had cyberbullied at least one person during their senior year of high school. Results indicated that verbal aggression, risky behaviors, and cyberbullying victimization emerged as significant predictors of cyberbullying perpetration. These results have important theoretical and practical implications for those interested in developing cyberbullying prevention interventions.     

Student victimization by teachers in Taiwan: prevalence and associations

Objectives

This paper reports on the prevalence of student victimization by teachers in junior high schools in a Chinese cultural context (Taiwan) and examines how student demographic variables (gender, grade level, and family socioeconomic status) and school social experiences (student-teacher relationships and involvement with at-risk peers) are associated with such victimization.

Methods

Data were obtained from a large-scale random sample of 1,376 junior-high students (grades 7-9) in the city of Taichung, Taiwan. Students were given an anonymous structured questionnaire, including items regarding basic demographics and school social experiences.

Results

Overall, 26.9% of students reported having been maltreated by teachers at least 1 time in the previous semester. Hitting, beating, or slapping was the most common maltreatment, and the most vulnerable students were boys and senior students. Students who perceived that student-teacher relationships were poor, and those who were involved with at-risk peers, were more likely to report victimization.

Conclusion

Although there are clear guidelines and regulations prohibiting teacher aggression against students, Taiwanese students are still exposed to high levels of maltreatment. The findings provide empirical evidence to support school social workers and policymakers in taking immediate action to educate politicians, the general public, and the media about the severity of student victimization by teachers as well as to build up mechanisms to supervise the government's enforcement of regulation. These findings clearly imply that promoting positive social experiences for students is crucial for successful intervention.     

Loneliness,personal and social well-being: towards a conceptualization of the effects of cyberbullying / Soledad,bienestar social e individual: hacia una conceptualización de los efectos del cyberbullying

This paper examines the effects of cyberbullying using a mixed method approach, by combining interviews, focus groups and a survey of 7,000 students. In the inductive stage, and following an axial coding analysis, we identified 153 concepts related to conflicts, which were divided into three thematic units to explain the greater impact of cyberbullying: (1) social distance; (2) privacy exposure; and (3) range of the material. The survey concluded that: (1) the victims of bullying and cyberbullying present higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of social well-being compared to non-bullied students, and those who were bullied in both channels presented higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of social well-being than those who were bullied in only one of them; (2) the victims of cyberbullying showed lower levels of individual well-being compared with those who had never been bullied, as with those who suffered face-to-face bullying. This difference was explained by testimonies indicating that most of the cyberbullying was related to intimate content, which has a higher impact on image perception.     

“Think before you type”: the effectiveness of implementing an anti-cyberbullying project in an EFL classroom

Cyberbullying takes place when the Internet is used purposefully to cause harm or discomfort to a specific person or group of persons. Because of the fast growth of digital technologies, cyberbullying is replacing physical bullying and becoming a prevalent social problem around the world. This study outlines the author’s efforts of integrating David Kolb's experiential learning theory, project-based learning, and a critical approach to language education to engage a group of Taiwanese college English-as-a-foreign-language students about the issues related to cyberbullying and the importance of healthy Internet behaviors. The results indicated that the 9-week project work heightened students’ awareness of cyberbullying and other social issues and enhanced their language skills. Students also held an overall positive attitude toward the project work. To conclude the article, several research directions are suggested to continue this line of inquiry.     

The influence of organizational image on college selection: what students seek in institutions of higher education

Colleges and universities rely on their image to attract new members. This study focuses on the decision-making process of students preparing to apply to college. High school students were surveyed at college open houses to identify the factors most influential to their college application decision-making. A multi-methods analysis found that institutional characteristics were more influential than interpersonal or informational resources used by students. More specific results revealed that size, housing, and knowing someone who attended a school predicted students' views of the school's atmosphere. Key findings are discussed and recommendations offered to address issues related to organizational image.     

The effect of local labor market conditions in the 1990s on the likelihood of community college students’ persistence and attainment

This study analyzes the influence of local labor market conditions on the year-to-year persistence and attainment decisions of a sample of traditional-aged students who attended community colleges during the 1990s. The findings suggest that the enrollment and attainment decisions of these first-time community college students were not made purely as a response to changes in tuition costs, but rather the result of a more interconnected process whereby changes in tuition, local labor market conditions, and the relative change in both are considered. For those who are sensitive to these relative costs, the likelihood of dropping out is increased. Of those who remained enrolled, the evidence suggests that an increase in tuition appears to provide an incentive or extra motivation to finish a degree, especially an associate’s degree. This finding does not support the raising of in-state tuition to improve student outcomes; rather it draws attention to the complexity involved in student persistence and attainment decision-making.     

High school teachers' perceptions of cyberbullying prevention and intervention strategies

Recent meta‐analyses indicate that bully prevention programs produce minimal change in student behavior. This study examined 66 high school teachers' perceptions regarding the effect of cyberbullying on students, which intervening strategies teachers would use when dealing with cyberbullying, and which prevention strategies would assist in preventing cyberbullying. Almost one fourth of teachers indicated cyberbullying does not have long‐lasting negative effects and that cyberbullying “prepares students for life.” Fewer than half of teachers favored implementing a formal cyberbully prevention program. Teachers perceived the following strategies as most helpful in addressing cyberbullying: increasing parental involvement, warning students about consequences for cyberbullying, and increasing consequences for cyberbullying. School administrators should consider teachers' perceptions before implementing prevention programs that target cyberbullying. Additionally, strategies should consider fostering greater teacher buy‐in, thus improving intervention fidelity and creating a unified effort focused on decreasing student cyberbullying. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Do elementary school‐based child abuse prevention programs work? A high school follow‐up

Despite the widespread use of school‐based abuse prevention programs, few studies support their effectiveness in helping children avoid victimization. Most studies that evaluate prevention programs measure changes in children's knowledge and not subsequent behavior. Further, the link between knowledge, behavior, and the ability to avoid or reduce victimization has not been established. In this study the impact of a school‐based prevention program was assessed by surveying students at a high school in southern California where students from feeder elementary and junior high schools were known to have had abuse prevention programs available to them. Data were collected anonymously on 137 high school students during their Health class. A quasi‐experimental design was utilized, comparing the 72 students who had attended one or more school‐based abuse prevention program with the 65 who stated they had not participated in a prevention program. Demographic similarities between the two groups were established. Students who attended prevention programs were more knowledgeable about abuse concepts and reported fewer incidents of abuse. However, the effectiveness of students' responses to abuse, even when they were using strategies taught by the prevention programs, was variable. Questions about the effectiveness of these strategies with familial and nonfamilial abuse are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Perceived severity of school bullying in elementary schools based on participants’ roles

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived severity of school bullying among participants with different roles (victims, bullies, bullies/victims and non-involved individuals) and to determine whether interactions between type of bullying and participant roles exist. Two Olweus-like global items and a revised School Bullying Severity Scale for elementary students were used in this study. A total of 1816 valid surveys completed by students in grades 5 and 6 (mean age = 11.5, SD = .84) were collected. Data were analysed using a mixed-model two-way ANOVA. The results revealed a significant main effect of type of bullying. Physical and verbal bullying were perceived as more severe than relational and cyberbullying. A significant two-way interaction between bullying category and participant role was also identified. Bullies did not perceive the four types of victimisation behaviours differently, whereas victims and bullies/victims both rated physical victimisation as most severe and cyber-victimisation as least severe. However, effect sizes were small. Implications for bullying prevention and intervention are discussed.