Online Perpetration Research Articles

Cyber intimate partner aggression in adulthood: the role of insecure attachment and self-control

PurposeThis study aims to build on existing literature on face-to-face aggression in intimate relationships and adopts Finkel’s I3 theory to investigate the relationship between adult attachment style, dispositional self-control and cyber intimate partner aggression (IPA) perpetration and victimization.Design/methodology/approachParticipants (N = 173) 20–52 years of age (M = 32.75 years, SD = 7.73, mode = 29 years) completed a series of standardized online measures to assess anxious and avoidant attachment, dispositional self-control and experience of cyber IPA (psychological, sexual and stalking), as both a perpetrator and victim.FindingsAvoidant attachment was associated with increased perpetration of stalking and psychological abuse. Those high on avoidant attachment were also more likely to report that they were victims of cyber IPA psychological abuse and stalking. Self-control did not predict experience of cyber IPA, as a perpetrator or victim. Interactions between self-control and attachment were also non-significant.Originality/valueThis study addressed the paucity of cyber IPA research conducted with adult populations, by examining processes and factors to improve understanding of the experiences of online perpetration and victimization. The study also found evidence for the importance of impellance factors but not inhibiting factors (Finkel, 2008).

Are Perceived Executive Functions Beneficial for Adolescents Who Experience Peer Victimization?

Peer victimization can lead to dysfunctional cognitions and numerous internalizing psychological problems. Thus, it is essential to identify factors that can moderate the impact of victimization. This study aimed to analyze the potential moderating role of perceived executive functions (PEF) in the impact of peer victimization (traditional and online) on internalizing symptoms (depression and social anxiety), early maladaptive schemas (disconnection/rejection domain), and PEF in adolescents. A two-wave longitudinal study was carried out with 680 Spanish adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age (M = 14.58, SD = 1.36; 41.18% girls). Participants completed measures of self-reported executive functions, traditional and online victimization, early maladaptive schemas of the disconnection/rejection domain, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety symptoms in waves 1 and 2. Traditional and online perpetration was completed only in wave 1. The results indicated that when PEF were high (i.e., adolescents perceive that they have good executive functions), traditional and online victimization predicted more schemas of the disconnection/rejection domain and internalizing symptoms of depression and social anxiety. In non-victims, high PEF showed a protective role in the development of depressive symptoms and schemas of the disconnection/rejection domain. The findings highlight that PEF have a protective role that disappears when victimization (traditional and online) occurs.

Attitudes and Beliefs Associated with Cyberbullying and Non-Consensual Sexting in Cisgender and Transgender Adults

Cyberbullying and non-consensual sexting are prevalent and potentially harmful online behaviours. However, little is known about the attitudes and beliefs that underpin these behaviours in ciswomen and cismen and the extent to which they explain the online experiences of trans and gender diverse (TGD) people. A sample of 638 ciswomen, 722 cismen, and 146 TGD adults 18 to 66 years of age (M = 23.27, SD = 3.66), completed a survey of online perpetration behaviours, victimization experiences, and positive attitudes/beliefs about cyberbullying and sexting. MANCOVAs revealed significant gender differences in terms of both cyber and sexting perpetration and victimization. On average, ciswomen reported 8% less cyberbullying perpetration and 17% less non-consensual sexting perpetration than cismen, and experienced 77% more victimization from non-consensual sexting. TGD adults similarly reported 8% less cyberbullying perpetration than cismen, but also 65% less non-consensual sexting perpetration than cismen, as well as experiencing 77% more victimization from non-consensual sexts. MANCOVAs also revealed that cismen held more positive attitudes and beliefs about cyberbullying and sexting than ciswomen and TGD adults. Multigroup path analyses further revealed that positive attitudes and beliefs were related to perpetration behaviours but differently for different genders, with pro-cyberbullying attitudes/beliefs associated with perpetration behaviours in TGD adults, and pro-sexting attitudes/beliefs associated with perpetration behaviours in cisgender adults. These results highlight gender differences in online perpetration and victimization, extend this observation to TGD populations, and demonstrate the importance of underlying attitudes and beliefs.

Impact of Cyberbullying on Adolescent Mental Health in the midst of pandemic – Hidden Crisis

IntroductionCyberbullying has become more prevalent with the increased use of social media among younger population. It is more harmful than traditional bullying as it can happen at any time, has a much wider audience, and can invade personal space. YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular online platforms among teens. The victims of cyberbullying can present with social anxiety (41%), depression (37%), suicidal thoughts (26%) among many others (self-harm, substance use, etc). In the past year, these numbers have significantly risen due to switch to virtual learning due to the pandemic, hence the risk of exposure to cyberbullying has risen.ObjectivesTo study the impact of cyberbullying on Adolescent Mental healthMethodsA review of articles (2016-2021), was done using PubMed and Google scholar focusing on impact of cyberbullying in children and young adults.ResultsJohn et al group showed that both victims [OR- 2.10 (95% CI 1.73-2.55)] and perpetrators [ OR 1.21 (95% CI 1.02-1.44)] have increased risk of exhibiting suicidal behaviors. Kwan I et al group showed a negative association between cyberbullying and mental health. One study suggested that during the pandemic there has been increased online perpetrators due to increased amount of fear and anger which has projected in the form online aggression.ConclusionsThere is an increase in prevalence of cyberbullying with young population spending more time on internet and social media. Psychoeducation of parents and mental health experts is needed to recognize early warning signs in order to take steps for early intervention.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Prediction of risk factors of cyberbullying-related words in Korea: Application of data mining using social big data

The study examined a decision tree analysis using social big data to conduct the prediction model on types of risk factors related to cyberbullying in Korea. The study conducted an analysis of 103,212 buzzes that had noted causes of cyberbullying and data were collected from 227 online channels, such as news websites, blogs, online groups, social network services, and online bulletin boards. Using opinion-mining method and decision tree analysis, the types of cyberbullying were sorted using SPSS 25.0. The results indicated that the total rate of types of cyberbullying in Korea was 44%, which consisted of 32.3% victims, 6.4% perpetrators, and 5.3% bystanders. According to the results, the impulse factor was also the greatest influence on the prediction of the risk factors and the propensity for dominance factor was the second greatest factor predicting the types of risk factors. In particular, the impulse factor had the most significant effect on bystanders, and the propensity for dominance factor was also significant in influencing online perpetrators. It is necessary to develop a program to diminish the impulses that were initiated by bystanders as well as victims and perpetrators because many of those bystanders have tended to aggravate impulsive cyberbullying behaviors.

Latent profiles of offline/cyber bullying experiences among Korean students and its relationship with peer conformity

Today’s digital native adolescents are at risk of experiencing bullying not only in traditional offline contexts but also in online social contexts. Yet, little is known about the joint occurrence of offline perpetration and victimization, as well as online perpetration and victimization in early adolescence, despite its potential for providing important implications for areas of intervention. The current study examined 375 adolescents (girls = 52.5%, age range = 10–11 years old) in Korea and identified four unique groups such as high-, online-, offline-, and low-risk groups, using 42 items measuring offline and online perpetration and victimization, through latent profile analysis. Logistic regression showed that antisocial peer conformity predicted membership in the high- (AOR = 2.46, p < .05), offline- (AOR = 3.10, p < .01), and online-risk (AOR = 2.94, p < .001) groups, compared to the low-risk group. As for peer conformity, all groups involving bullying experiences showed more antisocial peer conformity than the low-risk group (F3,371 = 12.973, p < .001). Although all risk groups identified in this study—high-risk, online-risk, offline-risk—experienced both perpetration and victimization, there is a clear paucity of programs concerning the joint occurrence of bullying perpetration and victimization in Korea. Future interventions that consider the joint occurrence of bullying perpetration and victimization in offline and online contexts may be effective for preventing and reducing maladaptive peer interactions among adolescents in today’s digital era. Moreover, as antisocial peer conformity was demonstrated in all bully experiences regardless of their domain, bullying prevention programs should also address the social context of youth in terms of peer relationships rather than its current focus on individual factors.

Violencia cara a cara (offline) y en línea (online) en el noviazgo de adolescentes mexicanos

La violencia en el noviazgo que se ejerce a través de los medios tecnológicos y redes sociales (online) ha mostrado tener una alta frecuencia en la población de jóvenes y adolescentes. Se trata de un fenómeno relativamente nuevo cuya existencia ha sido catalogada como una extensión de la violencia ejercida cara a cara u offline. Pese a esto, son pocas las investigaciones encaminados en estudiar la relación entre ambos fenómenos. Por ello, el presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar la prevalencia y asociación entre la violencia offline y online en el noviazgo. Participaron 443 adolescentes (231 mujeres y 212 varones), quienes respondieron el Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationship Inventory y el Cyber Dating Abuse Questionaire. Los resultados muestran la naturaleza bidireccional de las conductas violentas offline y online, lo que podría indicar su normalización. Entre otros datos, se resalta que la mayor perpetración de violencia emocional y física es ejercida por las mujeres, lo que iría en contravía de los perfiles convencionales de mujeres víctimas y hombres victimarios. No obstante, es preciso señalar que la violencia sexual fue mayormente ejercida por varones, lo cual es congruente con lo hallado en diversos estudios. Por último, se halló una asociación positiva entre la perpetración de la violencia offline y online en el noviazgo, lo que comprueba que las conductas violentas que se ejercen cara a cara se podrían trasladar a los medios tecnológicos y redes sociales.

Cyberbullying Phenomenon of High School Students: An Exploratory Study in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Cyberbullying became a common occurrence among teenagers in the world today. The aim of research was to explore the cyberbullying experience of high school students in West Kalimantan. The research was conducted to identify internet usage and online activities that led to cyberbullying victimization. The methods used a questionnaire collected during June 2019 from 50 students (25 males and 25 females) graded 10 to 12, and used a one-way ANOVA analysis. Significant gender differences were found which indicated that boys were more often involved in cyberbullying both as the perpetrator and the victim. Students with lower academic achievement tend to be online perpetrators than students with better academic performance. The research investigated how cyber oppression impacts both as a perspective of victimization and persecution, discussing the practice of reporting students to parents, school officials and other adults. Parental and teacher supervision as a strategy reduces student involvement in cyberbullying and generates awareness among students. The result implies that schools have an important role in teaching cybersecurity, adding cyberbullying subject in the curriculum, and sharing experiences with students.

Problematic internet use among adolescents: Psychometric properties of the index of problematic online experiences (I-POE)

The basic aim of this research was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Index of Problematic Online Experiences (I-POE) on a sample of adolescents from Serbia. Construct validity, which had previously been tested by the authors of the test themselves (Mitchell, Jones, Wells, 2013), was retested here. The possibility of predicting I-POE scores based on selected personality traits and parental mediation was also evaluated. A total of 339 students from two cities in Serbia, aged 18 and 19, participated in the study. The results indicated that very similar behavior determined problematic Internet use (PIU) both in this research and that of the authors of the test. Construct validity testing indicated that the scores on the I-POE predicted online perpetration, sexual behavior and victimization, as expected. Negative valence was correlated with the I-POE scores with mediation effect of Parental involvement. The results indicate that I-POE encompasses significant characteristics of PIU as a global phenomenon and it can be of significant importance in assessing this problem among the adolescent population.

Factors associated with online victimisation among Malaysian adolescents who use social networking sites: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of online interpersonal victimisation and its association with patterns of social networking site (SNS) use, offline victimisation, offline perpetration and parental conflict among Malaysian adolescents using...

The cyber dating violence inventory. Validation of a new scale for online perpetration and victimization among dating partners

Cyber dating abuse is a new kind of dating violence. Several recent measures assess this phenomenon, but do not focus on a severe aggression that aims to spoil a partner’s relational network (relational cyber abuse). This study developed and validated the Cyber Dating Violence Inventory (CDVI) with 1405 adolescents and young adults (Mage = 18.17; SDage = 2.39; 65.1% females), an instrument that considers the relational dimension of online dating abuse. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses found two correlated factors (Psychological and Relational) for both perpetration and victimization, showing good reliability. CDVI factors were positively correlated with offline dating violence, showing good criterion validity. This instrument has clinical and educational implications.

How technology can mitigate and counteract cyber-stalking and online grooming

With the virtual world having become part of the social lives of adults and minors alike, new attack vectors emerged to increase the severity of human-related attacks to a level the community has not experienced before. This article investigates this phenomenon and shares an outline of how technology could develop further to counteract and mitigate the damage caused by online perpetrators. Cyber-stalking and online bullying can have devastating effects on individuals, but it's affecting the workplace too. In response, relevant technology could be used to counteract and mitigate the damage caused by online perpetrators. Haider M al-Khateeb and Gregory Epiphaniou of the University of Bedfordshire approach this issue using an incident response methodology and discuss the role of machine learning to identify and classify such attacks. They also examine how digital forensic investigations can be carried out in order to analyse the nature of the offence and preserve evidence.

To tell or not to tell? Youth’s responses to unwanted Internet experiences

This study is one of the first that investigated youth’s response to unwanted Internet experiences, not only for those youth who were bothered or distressed but for all youth who reported the experience. Three types of response were examined: telling someone about the incident and ending the unwanted situation by active or passive coping. Responses to the following unwanted Internet experiences were analysed: Sexual solicitation, online harassment and unwanted exposure to pornography. The study was based on data from the Third Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS-3), a telephone survey with a nationally representative U.S. sample of 1,560 Internet users, ages 10 to 17, and their caretakers. Youth’s responses to unwanted Internet experiences differ depending on the type of unwanted experiences, whether they are distressed or have other negative reactions caused by the incident and – to some degree – other youth characteristics and incident characteristics. For example, not all youth who are distressed tell someone and not all youth who tell someone are distressed. Also, the reasons for telling may differ depending on whom they tell, and youth tell somebody less often about their victimization if they also are online perpetrators, but of different types of unwanted Internet experiences. Internet safety information for parents and parents’ active mediation of Internet safety does not seem to result in youth telling more often about unwanted Internet experiences.