Does Parental Mediation of Technology Use Moderate the Associations between Cyber Aggression Involvement and Substance Use? A Three-Year Longitudinal Study.

Michelle F Wright,Sebastian Wachs

doi:10.3390/ijerph16132425

Abstract

The goal of this three-year longitudinal study was to examine the buffering effect of parental mediation of adolescents’ technology use (i.e., restrictive, co-viewing, and instructive) on the relationships among cyber aggression involvement and substance use (i.e., alcohol use, marijuana use, cigarette smoking, and non-marijuana illicit drug use). Overall, 867 (Mage = 13.67, age range from 13–15 years, 51% female, 49% White) 8th grade adolescents from the Midwestern United States participated in this study during the 6th grade (Wave 1), 7th grade (Wave 2), and 8th grade (Wave 3). Results revealed that higher levels of Wave 2 instructive mediation weakened the association between Wave 1 cyber victimization and Wave 3 alcohol use and Wave 3 non-marijuana illicit drug use. The relationship was stronger between Wave 1 cyber victimization and Wave 3 alcohol use and Wave 3 non-marijuana illicit drug use when adolescents reported lower levels of Wave 2 instructive mediation. At lower levels of Wave 2 instructive mediation, the association between Wave 1 cyber aggression perpetration and Wave 3 non-marijuana illicit drug use was stronger. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of parents recognizing their role in helping to mitigate the negative consequences associated with adolescents’ cyber aggression involvement.

Highlights

IntroductionCyber aggressors have the opportunity to victimize others through information and communication technologies at almost any time and often without concern for the consequences of their actions [8,9]
This study was one of the first to focus on examining the buffering effect of parental mediation strategies on the three-year longitudinal associations among cyber aggression involvement and substance use
Results from this study suggested that higher levels of instructive mediation in 7th grade weakened the positive association between cyber victimization in 6th grade and alcohol use and non-marijuana drug use during 8th grade

Summary

Introduction

Cyber aggressors have the opportunity to victimize others through information and communication technologies at almost any time and often without concern for the consequences of their actions [8,9]. The anonymity of the online environment can trigger adolescents’ inability to constrain or restrain themselves, making them vulnerable to cyber aggression perpetration or cyber victimization [10,11]. Researchers, teachers, parents, and the general public are concerned with cyber aggression involvement because of the associated negative adjustment difficulties, such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, substance use, and poor academic performance (e.g., [12,13,14,15,16]). Public Health 2019, 16, 2425; doi:10.3390/ijerph16132425 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion