Cyber Forms Research Articles

The Impact of Peer and Cyberbullying on Elementary School Children in the Republic of Serbia

This study examines the prevalence of various forms of peer bullying among elementary school children, with a particular focus on the rising issue of cyberbullying. Utilizing a specially constructed Likert scale, the research gathered data from a sample of 98 children, composed of 51 boys and 47 girls, across grades five to eight. The findings reveal that verbal abuse, such as name-calling, mocking, and insulting, is the most common form of bullying experienced by children. Physical bullying behaviors like hitting, pushing, and kicking are also prevalent. Furthermore, the study highlights the significant presence of cyberbullying, characterized by malicious online messaging and social media interactions, which often result in emotional distress and withdrawal from social activities. The reliability and internal consistency of the measurement scale were confirmed by a Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.775. The results underscore the importance of addressing both traditional and cyber forms of bullying to ensure a safer school environment. The study advocates for comprehensive educational programs that promote digital literacy and empathy among children to mitigate the negative impacts of bullying. Additionally, the research suggests implementing effective intervention strategies that include prompt responses to reported bullying incidents and providing support to victims. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on bullying by offering insights into the dynamics of peer and cyberbullying, emphasizing the need for continuous monitoring and preventive measures within educational settings.

Strengthening Fintech Security in Uganda: An Analysis of Insider Threats and Effective Risk Management Strategies

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze security policies and risk management practices for reducing insider threats in the Fintech industry in Uganda. The study aims to classify and identify insider threats, examine how they relate to risk management procedures, and offer practical recommendations for improving Fintech companies’ security measures. Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive research design, focusing on diverse respondents across various sectors. Data was collected through surveys from 25 respondents, including IT security specialists, accountants, finance officers, and other relevant roles. The sectors represented included Banking and Finance (52%), Security (12%), Information Technology and Telecommunications (8% each), and others such as Agriculture, Civil Society, and Public Service (each 4%). The study employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods, with secondary data reviewed from existing literature and case studies. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS to interpret the data and identify trends in insider threat occurrences and risk management practices. Findings: The study revealed that insider threats in Uganda's Fintech sector can manifest in both physical and cyber forms. The predominant risk management practices identified include proactive measures such as robust security policies, access controls utilized by 88% of respondents, security awareness training by 80%, and continuous monitoring by 68%. Incident response and reporting procedures were also critical, ensuring that breaches are swiftly addressed to minimize impact. There was a significant positive correlation (r = .65; p < 0.05) between the frequency of past insider attacks and the regularity of risk assessments, underscoring the importance of regular evaluations in mitigating risks. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study contributes to the theoretical understanding of how local cultural attitudes and regulatory frameworks impact effectiveness of risk management strategies, providing insights that can inform RMF adaptations in similar contexts. For practitioners, it recommends development and implementation of robust security policies, employee training programs, and advanced monitoring systems. Policy-makers are advised to support regulatory frameworks that mandate regular risk assessments and the adoption of best Fintech practices.

Association of Childhood Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder With Adolescent Traditional and Cyberbullying Victimization in the Digital Generation: A Population-Based Cohort Study

PurposeThis population-based cohort study aimed to examine the association with childhood attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bullying experiences during adolescence among Digital Generation individuals, exploring both traditional and cyberbullying. MethodsThis study included data from 15,240 participants, collected from the Taiwan Adolescent to Adult Longitudinal Study project. Participants, initially in seventh and 10th grade in 2015, were selected through a multistage stratified sampling approach. Self-report questionnaires assessed traditional and cyberbullying victimization experiences during adolescence, with 5-year longitudinal follow-up. Childhood ADHD diagnoses were identified by linking data to Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 to 2015. Logistic regression models were employed to examine the relationship between childhood ADHD and bullying victimization while controlling for relevant covariates. ResultsIndividuals diagnosed with childhood ADHD exhibited a significantly higher likelihood of experiencing bullying during adolescence (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28–1.80). This association extended to various forms of bullying, including physical (aOR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.20–1.68), verbal (aOR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.20–1.67), relational (aOR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.22–1.71), and cyber (aOR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.14–1.61). Additional factors positively associated with bullying victimization included male, binge drinking, and depression, while a positive campus atmosphere was protective against bullying. However, there is no evidence for interactions between these factors and ADHD in their associations with bullying. DiscussionChildhood ADHD increases the risk of both traditional and cyberbullying during adolescence. Recognizing this risk is essential for targeted interventions and further research on underlying mechanisms.

Influences of prepandemic bullying victimization and COVID-19 peer discrimination on Chinese American adolescents' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guided by the social-ecological diathesis-stress model, we examined the interactive influences of prepandemic bullying victimization and COVID-19 peer discrimination on Chinese American adolescents' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included 193 Chinese American adolescents from middle and high schools in the United States. Results of regression analyses suggested that Chinese American adolescents' prepandemic bullying victimization in both traditional and cyber forms, but not COVID-19 peer discrimination, was significantly and positively associated with both their internalizing and externalizing problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, after their sex, grade level, age, and immigration status were controlled. Moreover, Chinese American adolescents' prepandemic bullying victimization in cyber form (but not in traditional form), mitigated the risk influence of COVID-19 peer discrimination on their internalizing problems (but not externalizing problems), during the pandemic. The findings indicate the salient and lasting influence of prepandemic bullying victimization on Chinese American adolescents' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the importance of continued support for vulnerable students who suffered from prepandemic bullying victimization during the school reopening and postpandemic recovery. It also highlights the importance of developing a resilience-focused approach to creating conditions and opportunities to foster posttraumatic growth among youth with bullying and racial trauma experience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The Machiavellian bully revisited: A closer look at differences and processes of Machiavellian bullying and cyberbullying perpetration.

Numerous studies on personality traits conducive to traditional bullying and cyberbullying mentioned Machiavellianism as an influential predictor of these behaviors. Machiavellianism comprises manipulative, egotistic orientations that help acquire desired outcomes. However, it is questionable whether bullying and cyberbullying reflect unidimensional constructs since they are frequently categorized into verbal, relational, and physical aspects (with the latter being applicable only in traditional bullying). Similarly, evidence suggests that Machiavellianism is not a uniform trait. In this research, using a sample of 634 students (339 girls; 54%) from 40 classes from eighth to tenth grades, a five-dimensional measure of bullying and cyberbullying was devised and suggested that aspects of (cyber)bullying are related but still separable. Subsequently, differential relations between the five forms of (cyber)bullying and two facets of Machiavellianism were modeled. Those facets were Machiavellian approach (i.e., manipulative aspects of Machiavellianism) and Machiavellian avoidance (i.e., distrustful aspects of Machiavellianism). Multilevel models revealed that Machiavellian approach predicted relational bullying (but not relational cyberbullying) and Machiavellian avoidance predicted verbal (cyber)bullying and physical bullying. All links were mediated by overt dehumanization, that is, the tendency to cognitively deprive a person of typically human characteristics.

Relations Between Violence Exposure and Gun Carriage: Identifying Protective Factors Among African American Youth Living in Low-Income Urban Communities

This study identified risk, promotive, and protective factors for handgun carriage among 265 primarily African American adolescents ( Mage = 14.3) living in low-income urban areas. Community-based violent victimization and witnessing violence and in-person and cyber forms of peer victimization increased the probability of handgun carriage. Community collective efficacy, including caregiver-reported social connectedness and informal social control, and community developmental strengths/supports, including youth-reported community recognition for prosocial involvement and community developmental assets, moderated relations between both violent victimization and witnessing violence and handgun carriage. School developmental strengths/supports, including school developmental assets and family prosocial involvement in school, moderated relations between in-person and cyber victimization and handgun carriage. Family developmental strengths/supports, including family developmental assets and family recognition and opportunities for prosocial involvement, were associated with lower odds of handgun carriage. Study findings revealed distinct protective factors related to community violence exposure or peer victimization that can inform youth violence prevention efforts.

S-400s, Disinformation, and Anti-American Sentiment in Turkey

As social and political discourse in most countries becomes more polarized, anti-Americanism hasrisen not only in the Middle East and Latin America but also among the U.S. allies in Europe. Social media isone platform used to disseminate anti-American views in NATO countries, and its effectiveness can bemagnified when mass media, public officials, and popular figures adopt these views. Disinformation, inparticular, has gained recognition as a cybersecurity issue from 2016 onward, but disinformation can bemanufactured domestically in addition to being part of a foreign influence campaign. In this paper, we analyzeTurkish tweets using sentiment analysis techniques and compare the model's results to the manualinvestigation based on qualitative research. We investigate institutional conditions, social and mass mediacontrol, and the state of political discourse in Turkey and focus on narratives pertaining to the purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia by Turkey, as well as the actors spreading these narratives, analyzing for popularity,narrative type, and bot-like behavior. Our findings suggest that although anti-American sentiment has heldrelatively steady in Turkey since 2003, the tightening of control over mass media networks in Turkey and theadoption of conspiratorial rhetoric by President Erdogan and his allies in the AKP from 2014 onward amplifiedanti-American sentiment and exacerbated negative sentiment on social media by pitting users against oneanother. This study and its findings are important because they highlight the importance of social andpsychological components of cybersecurity. The ease by which disinformation efforts, influence operations,and other “softer” forms of cyber- and information warfare can be carried out means that they will only growmore common.

Traditional and cyber dating violence among adolescents: Profiles, prevalence, and short-term associations with peer violence.

There is a paucity of studies on dating violence profiles that incorporate the forms of cyber and sexual dating violence. Moreover, the results on the predictive role of peer violence on dating violence are inconsistent. Our aim was to identify dating violence profiles and to study the predictive value of peer violence profiles on dating violence profiles using a short-term longitudinal design. The sample consisted of 498 adolescents with current or past romantic relationship (42.8% boys), aged 12-18 years (M = 14.22; SD = 1.39). Four dating violence profiles were identified with an overlap between traditional and cyberdating violence. Peer violence profiles were associated with dating violence profiles 4months later. The results suggest the need to prevent all forms of dating violence at an early age, starting with the improvement of interpersonal relationships between peers.

Grade-level differences of peer and dating victimization among transgender, gender expansive, female, and male adolescents

A staggering number of adolescents in the United States report victimization within peer contexts (e.g., physical, verbal, or cyber forms of bullying) and dating relationships (e.g., physical, or psychological abuse from dating partners). However, little research has examined grade-level differences in forms of victimization by gender, inclusive of transgender and gender expansive adolescents. Eighth to twelfth graders (N = 4,464; n = 1,116 per gender identity) from a statewide survey were compared by gender identity and grade on self-reported rates of verbal, physical, and cyber peer victimization, as well as physical and psychological dating violence victimization. A log-binomial regression model was conducted to assess the prevalence ratio of peer and dating violence victimization by grade, and by comparing transgender and gender expansive youth to male and female youth. Across grade levels, transgender and gender expansive youth reported higher levels of victimization compared to male and female youth in those grades. Our results demonstrate that gender minority youth report rates of victimization across adolescence that differ from their male and female peers. This research is critical for moving beyond the gender binary to have more gender responsive and developmental approaches to violence prevention efforts.

Review: On the Importance of Military Geoscience

Review: On the Importance of Military Geoscience

Childhood Sexual Abuse and Exposure to Peer Bullying Victimization.

Females exposed to child sexual abuse (CSA) are at an increased risk of experiencing further victimization in adolescence. Associations between CSA and several forms of cyber and in-person peer bullying victimization were assessed in a prospective, longitudinal study. Females exposed to substantiated CSA and a matched comparison group (N = 422) were followed over a two-year period. Bullying experiences were assessed in both survey and qualitative interviews. Qualitative data were coded and used to describe the types (e.g., cyber, physical, verbal), and foci (e.g., threats, physical appearance) of bullying victimization. Logistic regression was used to assess the odds that CSA was associated with subsequent bullying victimization, adjusted for demographics, social networking use, and prior bullying. CSA-exposed females were at an increased risk of multiple forms of bullying victimization with a persistent risk of bullying victimization over time. Specifically, they had 2.6 times higher odds of experiencing any bullying at follow-up, 2.9 times higher odds of experiencing cyberbullying at follow-up, and 2 times higher odds of experiencing combined cyber/in-person bullying at follow-up. CSA-exposed females were more likely than comparison females to experience bullying regarding their appearance/weight and dating relationships. Findings provide further insight into the unique circumstances of the cyberbullying and in-person bullying experienced by CSA-exposed females. Females exposed to child sexual abuse (CSA) are at an increased risk of experiencing bullying victimization, specifically cyberbullying and combined cyber/in-person bullying, as well as bullying about their appearance and dating relationships. These findings indicate that bullying prevention needs to include trauma-focused components to target these uniquely vulnerable females.

AN INVESTIGATION AND ANALYSIS OF CYBER SECURITY INFORMATION SYSTEMS: LATEST TRENDS AND FUTURE SUGGESTION

Network protection includes of the strategies and procedures implemented in this paper to avoid and monitor intrusion attempts, infringement, manipulation or violation of a computer system and services accessed by the network. Network protection applies to the different countermeasures put in place to secure or flow through the network and data collected on or through it. Protection for web applications is the method of securing websites and internet resources from multiple security attacks that target weaknesses in an application. Security for web apps is a data management division that primarily deals with the security of websites, web applications and web services. Risks to cyber security include a broad range of allegedly criminal practices on the web. For years, computer security risks against utility assets were identified, cyber-attacks arising from the exploitation of data device weaknesses by unauthorized access users This study is a cyber infrastructure assault, vulnerability and vulnerabilities, including hardware and software devices, networks, business networks, intranets, and cyber intrusion usage. Only big organisations are at risk of cyber-attacks, a widespread misunderstanding. Even then, the targeting of small and medium sized enterprises has seen a large improvement. This is since less-sophisticated cyber defence mechanisms appear to be used by these smaller organisations. As many as 50% of all cyber-attacks hit small companies, wasting $200,000 on average, sufficient to get out of business for less-established entities. an enterprise-grade protection device and awareness of the various forms of cyber threats facing corporations in 2025 to safeguard company from hacking attacks. fight cyber threats successfully and decrease the exposure of enterprise.

Cyber Violence against Women and Girls in Nepal

Violence against women and girls in the virtual space is the emerging concern in the global context. With the growth in use of technologies and the internet, cyberspace has been an equally vulnerable area for violence targeted against women and girls as that of public space. With the rise in numbers of existing forms of violence, conceptual clarification on the dynamics of cyber based violence is a major need of time. Moreover, it has been an issue of immediate concern to assess the current situation of Nepal for the identification of policy and legal remedies. The present study attempts to identify the pattern and forms of cyber based violence against women and girls in Nepal through the study of registered cases in Cyber Crime Unit of Nepal Police and also, reflect on the nature of cases adjudicated by the Kathmandu District Court. In the absence of a clear legal framework and technical knowhow of cyber based crimes, law enforcement authorities have been constantly facing challenges to critically intervene the process and secure safe spaces for women and girls in use of technology. The study concludes that a coherent approach from all concerned stakeholders is required in defining a clear legal and policy framework to ensure use of information and technology as a tool of gender empowerment, thus addressing the crimes committed through cyberspace.

Consequences of Bullying in Schools: The Viewpoint of School Directors. Suggestions for Mitigating the Phenomenon - A Case Study of the District of Tirana

One of the most important institutions which affects the development and education of individuals in society is the school. The territory of schools needs to be safe from any form of violence, including bullying. Bullying in itself is a phenomenon that is defined as a behavior which occurs when an individual or a certain group of individuals, taking advantage of their power or authority, seek to impose, persecute, abuse, or intimidate the weaker ones repeatedly (Dema, 2007). Given that various studies consider bullying to be quite widespread (Haka & Pervizi, 2007 and Boyle, 2003), central and local institutions in Albania but also school leaders, are committed to prevent and fight this phenomenon. The main purpose of this study is to identify the most typical cases and to give suggestions on how to cope with and avoid bullying at school. The selected research method is the qualitative one, using data triangulation, such as literature review, interviews with the directors and focus groups with schools in Tirana district which has about 40 percent of the population at the national level, with a total of 997,380 inhabitants (General Directorate of Status Civil, Ministry of Interior, March 2011). In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 directors from 81 schools in the region of Tirana, including public and private schools, as well as a focus group with 5 directors and 5 security officers from schools with the highest number of students in the district of Tirana. The results of the study show that bullying is widespread in 80 percent of schools and the most present form of bullying is verbal and social, but the physical and cyber forms cannot be neglected. Bullying occurs in the form of student to student in 87 percent of cases, student to teacher in 47 percent of cases and teacher to student in 33 percent of cases. One of the most frequent variables of bullying is the educational level of parents with 33 percent and the family economic situation which accounts for 40 percent. The given results were generated from the analysis of data where 6 of the respondents answered that the family and its economic situation are both considered as determining factor in the emergence of bullying. How can such a phenomenon be prevented? The given study suggests: teachers training should be conducted, open hours with students, parents should be involved in these issues as part of the solution, building a close partnership with the school, meetings and awareness campaigns should be carried out between teachers, parents and students, also including other actors such as the psychologist and the security officer of the school.

Comparing short-term growth in traditional and cyber forms of bullying in early and mid-adolescent students

ABSTRACT The present study sought to investigate the short-term growth in the levels of traditional and cyber forms of bullying and victimization and examine how growth in one form of bullying relates to that of others’, for students in late elementary and early high school grades (ages 10 to 15) and to examine how the educational level of the students affects this growth. In total 868 students participated in the study during four measurement waves with an approximate five-week time-lag between each wave. The Latent Growth Modelling technique was implemented in data analysis and results indicated considerable differences between traditional and cyber forms of bullying. For example, a steeper fluctuation was indicated for cyber forms of bullying and victimization, which was more precipitous for students who were already reporting high levels of such behaviours, contrary to what was found for traditional forms of bullying. Nonetheless, similarities between the two forms were also present. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Digital Eco System: Cyber Bodies, Cyber Lives, and Cyber Narratives

In this essay, I try to embody the fragmented nature of our digital culture and lives. Through autoethnographic writing and personal vignettes, I narrate and theorize five interrelated themes: interactivity, the co-construction of digital stories, blurring the idea of time and space, the concept of transnational cyber bodies, and finally, the notion of a transnational and queer cyber home. Hence, my goal is to present personal stories that embody forms of cyber or digital autoethnography.

Assessing the relationship between cyber and traditional forms of bullying and sexual harassment: Stepping stones or displacement?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether cyberbullying and cyber-sexual harassment perpetration serve as antecedents or stepping stones to traditional bullying and sexual harassment, or whether traditional bullying and sexual harassment victimization encourage displacement in the form of anonymous aggressive activities like cyberbullying and cyber-sexual harassment. This research question was evaluated in a sample of 2,039 (52% female) high school students from the Illinois Study of Bullying and Sexual Violence (ISBSV) using two waves of longitudinal data. Two hypotheses were tested in two separate analyses, using bullying and cyberbullying data in one analysis, and sexual harassment and cyber-sexual harassment data in the other analysis. The stepping-stone hypothesis predicted that children would use the anonymity of cyber-bullying/harassment as a stepping stone or learning curve toward eventual involvement in face-to-face bullying/harassment. The displacement hypothesis, by contrast, held that children victimized face-to-face with traditional forms of bullying/harassment would seek release from their victimization by engaging in the largely anonymous activities of cyberbullying and cyber-sexual harassment. In both the bullying and harassment analyses, the pathway running from traditional bullying/harassment victimization to cyber-bullying/harassment perpetration proved significant, consistent with the displacement hypothesis. The pathway running from cyber aggression to traditional aggression failed to achieve significance in both the bullying and harassment analyses, providing no support for the stepping-stone hypothesis. These results imply that anonymity plays an important role in linking traditional and cyber forms of bullying and harassment.

Assessing the relationship between cyber and traditional forms of bullying and sexual harassment: Stepping stones or displacement?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether cyberbullying and cyber-sexual harassment perpetration serve as antecedents or stepping stones to traditional bullying and sexual harassment, or whether traditional bullying and sexual harassment victimization encourage displacement in the form of anonymous aggressive activities like cyberbullying and cyber-sexual harassment. This research question was evaluated in a sample of 2,039 (52% female) high school students from the Illinois Study of Bullying and Sexual Violence (ISBSV) using two waves of longitudinal data. Two hypotheses were tested in two separate analyses, using bullying and cyberbullying data in one analysis, and sexual harassment and cyber-sexual harassment data in the other analysis. The stepping-stone hypothesis predicted that children would use the anonymity of cyber-bullying/harassment as a stepping stone or learning curve toward eventual involvement in face-to-face bullying/harassment. The displacement hypothesis, by contrast, held that children victimized face-to-face with traditional forms of bullying/harassment would seek release from their victimization by engaging in the largely anonymous activities of cyberbullying and cyber-sexual harassment. In both the bullying and harassment analyses, the pathway running from traditional bullying/harassment victimization to cyber-bullying/harassment perpetration proved significant, consistent with the displacement hypothesis. The pathway running from cyber aggression to traditional aggression failed to achieve significance in both the bullying and harassment analyses, providing no support for the stepping-stone hypothesis. These results imply that anonymity plays an important role in linking traditional and cyber forms of bullying and harassment.

The Impact of Contemporary Communication Technology on Undergraduate Students’ Dating Violence Episodes: An Exploration of Routine Activity Theory

The study was an empirical exploration of the kinds of communication technologies used in perpetrating different forms of Cyber Dating Abuse. The study was guided by Routine activities theory which states that the daily activities that individuals engage in make them susceptible to Cyber Dating Abuse. The study utilized data collected from 315 dating undergraduate students from selected universities in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The research design used in the study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey. The results showed that respondents mainly used smartphones to constantly exchange calls, text messages and instant messages on social media. Instant messaging on WhatsApp was most frequently used to perpetrate Cyber Dating Abuse. The findings indicate that the social interaction afforded by the use of various digital media made it possible for motivated offenders to encounter suitable victims (in this case their partners). An extended use of digital media by the victims increased their visibility and accessibility to the offender. A Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient r (313) = 0.20, p ≤ 0.001 established that the amount of time spent online was statistically and significantly positively associated with higher Cyber Dating Abuse victimization. Since digital media keeps evolving with chances that the youth will keep using it, this implies that Cyber Dating Abuse victimization is likely to persist. This calls for a need for universities to have critical discussions on how Cyber Dating Abuse, can be prevented to avoid its escalation which may lead to worse consequences on students’ psychological health and academic outcomes.

Association between different stages of precollege school bullying and murder-related psychological behaviors among college students in Anhui Province, China

Little is known about the relationship between precollege school bullying and murder-related psychological behaviors. The present study aims to examine that relationship in Chinese college students using a cross-sectional study. Self-report data were collected from 4034 college students in Anhui Province using a proportional stratified cluster sampling method. Four types of school bullying (i.e., physical, verbal, relational, and cyber) with bullies and victims and two periods (i.e., primary and secondary) were measured. The prevalence rates of murderous ideation, plans, preparation, and attempts were 6.9%, 2.5%, 1.8%, 1.4%, respectively. Different stages of precollege cyber bullying were associated with murder-related psychological behaviors for both bullies (primary: AORs = 2.78 to 15.67; secondary: AORs = 2.43 to 9.99; both periods: AORs = 2.26 to 14.04) and victims (primary: AORs = 2.87 to 16.57; secondary: AORs = 1.89 to 4.49; both periods: AORs = 3.68 to 21.48). A dose-response relationship was found, such that college students with a bullying perpetration index of two types and more were more likely to have murder-related psychological behaviors than those who were not bullied. Notably, both primary and secondary school bullying, especially cyber forms, were more likely to be associated with murder-related psychological behaviors. Therefore, it is necessary to develop school bullying preventive measures beginning in primary school.