Cyberbullying Behavior Research Articles

The Nature and Prevalence of Cyber Bullying Behaviors among South African High School Learners

The Nature and Prevalence of Cyber Bullying Behaviors among South African High School Learners

Bullying Including Cyber Bullying Increases the Risk of Suicidal Behaviour

Introduction Suicidal behaviour is one of the most common reasons for presentation to the emergency rooms. Bullying is a universal public health concern that affects significant number of adolescents. Many children and adolescents are recurrently involved in school bullying. Research suggests that both bullies and victims are overrepresented amongst those seen by mental health professionals. Objectives Understand the the relationship between bullying and suicidal behaviour, prevalence of different kinds of bullying in patients with mental health problems and prevalence of cyber bullying and it's affect on the victim Aim Increase public awareness on importance of cyber bullying. We feel that many patients won't disclose that they had been or are being cyber bullied because the characteristics are unclear. Method Charts of all patients who visited emergency room from 2011 to 2013 with a mental health complaint were reviewed. Variables understudy were gender, history of bullying, type of bullying (verbal, physical, emotional), DSM-IV-TR diagnosis and outcome following the assessment. Results Our study shows significant association between bullying, and suicidal behaviours, although based on our study, this predictor was not commonly assessed . Conclusion Our study showed that there was a significant link between bullying and future suicidal behaviour which is not commonly assessed. It is important that physicians identify these risk factor while assessing suicidality. Involvement in current cyber bullying was found to be less frequent than other forms of bullying such as verbal and physical. However, significant links were observed between cyber bullying and suicidal behaviour.

Problematic Internet Use and Cyber Bullying in Vocational School Students

Article History: Received 18.03.2015 Received in revised form 13.05.2015 Accepted 24.05.2015 Available online 12.08.2015 This study investigated the relationships between vocational school students’ problematic internet use and cyber bullying behaviors. A total of 563 vocational school students (314 males and 249 females) attending various departments in the vocational schools in Bolu province. Problematic Internet Usage Scale and Cyber Bullying Scale were used in the study. Multiple linear regression analysis was utilized in data analysis. According to analysis results, time spent online and problematic internet use accounted for 13.8% of the variance in cyber bullying. © 2015 IOJES. All rights reserved

The Nature and Frequency of Cyber Bullying Behaviors and Victimization Experiences in Young Canadian Children

As access to technology is increasing in children and adolescents, there are growing concerns over the dangers of cyber bullying. It remains unclear what cyber bullying looks like among young Canadian children and how common these experiences are. In this study, we examine the psychometric properties of a measure of cyber bullying behaviors and victimization experiences. We also examine the frequency of these behaviors and experiences among fifth- and sixth-grade Canadian children at the beginning ( n = 714) and end ( n = 638) of a school year. Children’s cyber bullying behaviors and victimization experiences were relatively stable across the school year and were highest for sixth-grade students who reported greater access to and use of technology. Cyber bullying behaviors representing joking around were endorsed more frequently than aggressive types of behaviors (i.e., spreading rumours or posting embarrassing pictures online). Implications for school-based prevention efforts are discussed.

A meta-analysis of sex differences in cyber-bullying behavior: the moderating role of age.

The current research used meta-analysis to determine whether (a) sex differences emerged in cyber-bullying frequency, (b) if age moderated any sex effect, and (c) if any additional moderators (e.g., publication year and status, country and continent of data collection) influenced the sex effect. Theoretically, if cyber-bullying is considered a form of traditional bullying and aggression, males are likely to cyber-bully more than females. Conversely, if cyber-bullying is considered relational/indirect aggression, females will be slightly more likely to cyber-bully than males. Results from 122 effect size estimates showed that males were slightly more likely to cyber-bully than females; however, age moderated the overall effect. Specifically, females were more likely to report cyber-bullying during early to mid-adolescence than males, while males showed higher levels of cyber-bullying during later adolescence than females. Publication status and year and continent and country of data collection also moderated the overall effect.

A Study of Taiwanese Teens' Traditional and Cyberbullying Behaviors

This study examined several types of teen behaviors, specifically bullying, being bullied, and witnessing bullying, and analyzed teens' judgments of the seriousness of the bullying. A Bullying Behaviors Scale (BBS) was designed to investigate both traditional bullying (TB) and cyberbullying (CB) behaviors among teens in grades 5 through 11. The study also explored the prevalence of both types of bullying according to gender and grade. Descriptive statistics revealed that TB and CB were moderately prevalent among teens, with CB occurring less frequently than traditional bullying. Verbal bullying was the most common form of TB for victims, bullies, and bystanders, followed by relational and physical bullying. Bullying events were found to be more prevalent among boys than girls and were more frequently experienced by older children than younger children for almost all types of TB and CB. The only exception was physical bullying, whose victims tended to be younger. The study concludes by discussing suggestions for further research.

Cyber-Bullying Among University Students: An Empirical Investigation from the Social Cognitive Perspective

Rising incidents of, and tragedies from, cyber-bullying have alerted researchers, educators, government officials, and parents to the severe consequences of this new form of bullying. Existing research on cyber-bullying is mostly conducted without sound theoretical foundation. In addition, previous studies focus on children and adolescents; there is a paucity of empirical examination of cyber-bullying behavior among university students. Drawing from social cognitive theory and focusing on university students, this study hypothesizes about, and empirically tests the effects of, personal and environmental factors on the likelihood for university students to perform cyber-bullying behavior. The results from a survey of university students in Hong Kong reveal that social norms, as well as personal factors such as Internet self-efficacy, motivations, and cyber-victimization experience, are strong predictors of university students’ cyber-bullying behavior. This study not only enriches our understanding of determinants of cyber-bullying behavior by university students but also provides valuable insights to educators, government officials, and parents.

Cyber Bullying and Physical Bullying in Adolescent Suicide: The Role of Violent Behavior and Substance Use

The impact of bullying in all forms on the mental health and safety of adolescents is of particular interest, especially in the wake of new methods of bullying that victimize youths through technology. The current study examined the relationship between victimization from both physical and cyber bullying and adolescent suicidal behavior. Violent behavior, substance use, and unsafe sexual behavior were tested as mediators between two forms of bullying, cyber and physical, and suicidal behavior. Data were taken from a large risk-behavior screening study with a sample of 4,693 public high school students (mean age=16.11, 47% female). The study's findings showed that both physical bullying and cyber bullying associated with substance use, violent behavior, unsafe sexual behavior, and suicidal behavior. Substance use, violent behavior, and unsafe sexual behavior also all associated with suicidal behavior. Substance use and violent behavior partially mediated the relationship between both forms of bullying and suicidal behavior. The comparable amount of variance in suicidal behavior accounted for by both cyber bullying and physical bullying underscores the important of further cyber bullying research. The direct association of each risk behavior with suicidal behavior also underscores the importance of reducing risk behaviors. Moreover, the role of violence and substance use as mediating behaviors offers an explanation of how risk behaviors can increase an adolescent's likelihood of suicidal behavior through habituation to physical pain and psychological anxiety.

Uncovering the Structure of and Gender and Developmental Differences in Cyber Bullying

ABSTRACT Although literature on traditional bullying is abundant, a limited body of sound empirical research exists regarding its newest form: cyber bullying. The sample comprised Australian secondary students (N = 803) and aimed to identify the underlying structure of cyber bullying, and differences in traditional and cyber bullying behaviors across gender and grade. Reliability analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and factorial invariance testing demonstrated that the newly extended measure of traditional and cyber bullying was psychometrically sound. Multiple-Indicators-Multiple-Causes models demonstrated gender, grade, and gender by grade interaction effects for traditional and cyber forms of bullying and being bullied. Findings were interpreted in the context of bullying theory. Moreover, potential limitations of the investigation and implications for theory, research, and practice were discussed.

The validation of the E-Victimisation Scale (E-VS) and the E-Bullying Scale (E-BS) for adolescents

This study investigates the psychometric properties of the E-Victimisation Scale (E-VS) and E-Bullying Scale (E-BS) designed to assess Cyber Bullying among Chinese adolescents. Participants were 484 adolescents aged between 11–16years randomly recruited from high schools within a region. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were applied to investigate the factorial structure of these scales. Reliability was examined by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients by sex. The convergent validity was investigated by correlations among these scales and the Centre for Epidemiological Studies-Depression for Children as well as the Zung’s Anxiety Scales. A single-factor model for the E-VS and a 2-factor model for the E-BS were resulted from the EFA with large factor loadings and about 47% and 56% of variance explained respectively. Cronhach’s alpha values provided evidence for good internal reliability with values ranging from 0.55 to 0.96. Correlations between the E-VS and Depression as well as Anxiety scales showed positive and significant relationships, however, the E-BS was only related to Depression. Psychometric evidence has shown that both E-VS and E-BS are valid instruments for measuring Cyber bullying behaviour and victimisation. Further studies are required on the test–retest reliability, discriminate validity, responsiveness, as well as normative information for standardisation.

Middle School Students' Perceptions of and Responses to Cyber Bullying

This study explored the nature and extent of middle school students' ( n = 665) experiences with cyber bullying. Approximately one in five students reported being cyber bullied in the past year, with 55% of those students being repeatedly victimized within the past 30 days. Female students were more likely to be involved in cyber bullying (victim, bully, and witness) compared to male students. One aspect of this study involved an examination of student disclosure and the consequences to victims and witnesses when informing others when they were affected by cyber bullying. Approximately 64% of youth reported the incident when they were cyber bullied and 60% reported when they witnessed cyber bullying. Peers and parents were told most frequently, while teachers were rarely informed. The likelihood of the cyber bullying behavior terminating was not influenced by the group informed of the incident. Overall, neither peers nor adults were very effective in assisting youth to reduce the cyber bullying behavior. These results suggest that peers, parents, and school personnel need to be prepared to offer more helpful strategies to youth who are involved in cyber bullying as victims, perpetrators, and witnesses. The common suggestion that youth report bullying behavior loses some of its credibility when those who do report do not receive helpful advice.

Patterns of adolescent bullying behaviors: Physical, verbal, exclusion, rumor, and cyber

Patterns of engagement in cyber bullying and four types of traditional bullying were examined using latent class analysis (LCA). Demographic differences and externalizing problems were evaluated across latent class membership. Data were obtained from the 2005–2006 Health Behavior in School-aged Survey and the analytic sample included 7,508 U.S. adolescents in grades 6 through 10. LCA models were tested on physical bullying, verbal bullying, social exclusion, spreading rumors, and cyber bullying behaviors. Three latent classes were identified for each gender: All-Types Bullies (10.5% for boys and 4.0% for girls), Verbal/Social Bullies (29.3% for boys and 29.4% for girls), and a Non-Involved class (60.2% for boys and 66.6% for girls). Boys were more likely to be All-Types Bullies than girls. The prevalence rates of All-Types and Verbal/Social Bullies peaked during grades 6 to 8 and grades 7 and 8, respectively. Pairwise comparisons across the three latent classes on externalizing problems were conducted. Overall, the All-Types Bullies were at highest risk of using substances and carrying weapons, the Non-Involved were at lowest risk, and the Verbal/Social Bullies were in the middle. Results also suggest that most cyber bullies belong to a group of highly aggressive adolescents who conduct all types of bullying. This finding does not only improve our understanding of the relation between cyber bullying and traditional bullying, but it also suggests that prevention and intervention efforts could target cyber bullies as a high-risk group for elevated externalizing problems.

Morality, values, traditional bullying, and cyberbullying in adolescence

The aim of the present study was to investigate moral aspects and human values in traditional bullying and cyberbullying, in order to detect differences between the two types of bullying and to test the role of immoral and disengaged behaviours in mediating the relationships between personal values and involvement in bullying. Sample comprised 390 adolescents aged 14-18, balanced for gender, attending different high schools. Traditional and cyberbullying were detected by means of two self-report measures, while the Portrait Values Questionnaire was used to assess 10 values in four dimensions according to the value system model by Schwartz (1992): self-trascendence, self-enhancement, openness to change, and conservation. Finally, immoral and disengaged behaviours were assessed by means of five items about behavioural and personal aspects salient for morality. Results showed that, irrespective of gender, self-enhancement and self-trascendence moderately predicted cyber and traditional bullying, respectively, while immoral and disengaged behaviours predicted both. Indirect effects showed that self-enhancement and openness to change predicted both forms of bullying through immoral behaviour. Results are discussed in terms of similarities and differences between cyber and traditional bullying and with attention to the central role of morality in explaining bullying nature.

Cyber bullying behaviors among middle and high school students.

Little research has been conducted that comprehensively examines cyber bullying with a large and diverse sample. The present study examines the prevalence, impact, and differential experience of cyber bullying among a large and diverse sample of middle and high school students (N = 2,186) from a large urban center. The survey examined technology use, cyber bullying behaviors, and the psychosocial impact of bullying and being bullied. About half (49.5%) of students indicated they had been bullied online and 33.7% indicated they had bullied others online. Most bullying was perpetrated by and to friends and participants generally did not tell anyone about the bullying. Participants reported feeling angry, sad, and depressed after being bullied online. Participants bullied others online because it made them feel as though they were funny, popular, and powerful, although many indicated feeling guilty afterward. Greater attention is required to understand and reduce cyber bullying within children's social worlds and with the support of educators and parents.