Peer cybervictimization and cyberaggression as a function of developmental stage during adolescence: A preliminary study.

Peer cybervictimization and cyberaggression are educational and social concerns which have been extensively studied during adolescence but there is less research conducted specifically across all stages of adolescence (early, middle, late, and emerging adulthood). The objective was to analyse the prevalence of cybervictimization and cyberaggression, the roles, and the associated behaviors, depending on the stages of adolescence. The sample was composed of 7295 non-university Spanish adolescents, between 11 and 22 years old from 47 schools. The frequency of cybervictimization and cyberaggression was 22.5 % and 15 %, respectively. The highest frequencies are found in late adolescence and the lowest in emerging adulthood. Mainly, involvement increases from early to late adolescence and decreases in emerging adulthood. The magnitude of cybervictimization and cyberaggression behaviors for the roles of pure cybervictim and pure cyberaggressor is similar through all stages.

Solicitation and Sexualized Interactions of Minors with Adults: Prevalence, Overlap with Other Forms of Cybervictimization, and Relationship with Quality of Life.

Sexual solicitation and sexualized interaction with minors by adults constitute one of the most pernicious risks of the Internet. Little is known about the age range in which this phenomenon is most prevalent or the relationship and overlap of this problem with other risks, such as peer-to-peer cybervictimization and cyber dating abuse. Additionally, little empirical evidence exists on whether the overlap between these types of online victimization affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to: 1) analyze the prevalence of sexual solicitation and interaction according to sex and stage of adolescence; 2) relate this problem to other forms of online victimization (cybervictimization and cyber dating abuse); 3) analyze the overlap between these forms of online victimization and differences in HRQoL scores. A cross-sectional and analytical study with 3,578 adolescents (52.7% girls) aged between 10-15 years was carried out. Of the adolescents in the study sample, 12.6% (n = 448) had received sexual requests and 6.4% (n = 230) had interacted sexually with adults. Sexual solicitation was most common among girls in middle adolescence. Of the participants, 33.9% (n = 1,216) had been involved in some form of online victimization. Peer cybervictimization and cyber dating abuse were positively and significantly correlated with sexualized solicitation/interactions with adults. Victims with the overlapping of all three types of online victimization (2.7%, n = 98) presented the lowest HQRoL scores (p < .001).

La solicitación e interacción sexual con menores por parte de adultos constituyen uno de los riesgos más perniciosos de Internet. Se sabe poco sobre la franja de edad en el que es más frecuente o sobre la relación y el solapamiento de este problema con otros riesgos, como la cibervictimización entre iguales y el abuso online en la pareja. Además, existen pocas evidencias empíricas sobre si el solapamiento entre estos tipos de victimización afecta a la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS). Los objetivos de este estudio fueron: 1) analizar la prevalencia de la solicitación/interacción sexual en función del sexo y la etapa de la adolescencia, 2) relacionar esta problemática con la cibervictimización entre iguales y el abuso online en la pareja, 3) analizar el solapamiento entre estas formas de victimización online y sus diferencias en las puntaciones de CVRS. Se trata de un estudio transversal y analítico con 3,578 adolescentes (52.7% chicas) entre 10-15 años. El 12.6% (n = 448) habían recibido solicitaciones sexuales y el 6.4% (n = 230) había interactuado sexualmente con adultos. La solicitación sexual fue más frecuente en chicas en la adolescencia media. Un 33.9% (n = 1,216) había sufrido algún tipo de victimización online. La cibervictimización entre iguales y el abuso online en la pareja correlacionaron positiva y significativamente con solicitaciones/interacciones sexualizadas con adultos. Las víctimas que solaparon los tres tipos de victimización online (2.7%, n = 98) presentaron las puntuaciones de CVRS más bajas (p < .001).

Epidemiology of peer cybervictimization and its relationship with health-related quality of life in adolescents: A prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Research focused on the association between peer cybervictimization and declining health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is scarce. Currently, few longitudinal studies find an association between these phenomena, and none focus on cybervictimization profiles. The main objectives are: (1) to analyze the point and period prevalence, and incidence of cybervictimization profiles (uninvolved, new, ceased, intermittent, and stable cybervictims); (2) to study the relationship between cybervictimization and HRQoL over time; (3) to determine the longitudinal impact on the HRQoL of each type of profile. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in three waves over 13 months. A total of 1142 adolescents aged 11-18 years participated in all the waves (630 girls, 55.2%). RESULTS: The prevalence of victimization for the three waves was 21.6% (Wave 1; W1), 23.5% (W2), and 19.6% (W3), respectively. The period prevalence was 41.3%, and the accumulated incidence was 25.1%. It was found that 24% of the participants were new victims, 5.9% were intermittent victims, and 6% were stable victims. Being a cybervictim at W1 poses a relative risk of 1.73 [1.29-2.32], that is, a twofold increased risk of presenting a low HRQoL 13 months later compared to those who are not cybervictims. CONCLUSION: One in four adolescents became a new cybervictim during the 13 months of the study. The adolescents who presented poorer HRQoL were the stable cybervictims.

Loot box engagement: A scoping review of primary studies on prevalence and association with problematic gaming and gambling.

BACKGROUND: Loot boxes are an increasingly common type of random microtransaction in videogames. There is some concern about their expansion and entailed risks, especially among adolescents. The actual prevalence of engagement with loot boxes among child and adult population is uncertain, and there is still controversy over the nature of their relationship with problematic gaming and gambling. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this scoping review are to summarize the characteristics and findings of published primary empirical studies about the prevalence of engagement with loot boxes and/or their relationship with problematic gaming and gambling, taking in account the type of sample, time frame and measured variables. METHODS: This study follows the Joanna Briggs Institute's "Guidance for conducting systematic scoping reviews" and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Three academic databases provided 299 articles. RESULTS: Sixteen primary empirical studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. All studies used cross-sectional designs, and most used convenience samples. Twelve study samples were comprised exclusively of gamers, and two were comprised of gamers and/or gamblers. Only six studies included adolescents. The annual prevalence rate of loot box purchases was higher for adult gamers than for adolescents (22.7%-44.2% and 20%-33.9%, respectively), but in studies with general population samples, the opposite was true (24.9% for players aged 13-14 versus 7.8% for adults). In general, the studies suggested a significant positive relationship between engagement with loot boxes and problematic gaming and gambling, but this may be related to the type of engagement (open/purchase/sell), and the characteristics of the study participants (male/female, adolescents/adults, gamers/gamers-gamblers/general population). CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review summarizes the results of recent empirical studies on engagement with loot boxes and discusses how methodological issues may affect their results and interpretation. Recommendations for future research are also provided.

Problematic online gambling among adolescents: A systematic review about prevalence and related measurement issues.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Despite its illegality among adolescents, online gambling is a common practice, which puts their mental health and well-being at serious risk. This systematic review summarises international scientific literature from the last 20 years on problematic online gambling among adolescents (11-21 years old) to determine its prevalence and to analyse related measurement issues. METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed and a protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, IC: CRD42020162932). Five academic databases were consulted, which resulted in an initial sample of 658 papers. RESULTS: Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. All studies were cross-sectional and targeted students from elementary school, secondary school or university. Most followed a convenience sampling procedure. The primary measurement instruments used were the DSM-IV-MR-J and SOGS-RA. Between 0.77% and 57.5% of adolescents present some degree of problematic online gambling (problem, pathological or disordered) depending on the instruments used, the study samples and the timeframe analysed. Between 0.89% and 1% of adolescents exhibited an online gambling disorder. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: There is a great heterogeneity in the methodology of the reviewed studies (samples, measurement instruments, cut-off points and criteria applied). The limited number of studies and the limited generalizability of their results suggest the need for further research and for development of specific instruments to assess different levels of problematic online gambling in representative samples of adolescents based on clinical 'gold standard' criteria and more accurate cut-off points.

Safety.Net: A Pilot Study on a Multi-Risk Internet Prevention Program.

Many programs exist to prevent bullying and cyberbullying. Nevertheless, despite evidence of the numerous overlapping risks of the Internet, programs that jointly and adequately address large sets of risks are not presently described in the scientific literature. This study's main objective was to assess the effectiveness of the Safety.net program in a pilot sample. This program prevents eight Internet risks: cyberbullying, sexting, online grooming, cyber dating abuse, problematic Internet use, nomophobia, Internet gaming disorder, and online gambling disorder. The Safety.net program comprises 16 sessions and 4 modules (digital skills, relational risks, dysfunctional risks, and change of attitudes and cognitions). Each session lasts one hour, but the program has a networked instructional design to recall previous content in later sessions. For its assessment, a pre/post-test repeated measures design with a control group and an intervention group was used. The study sample was 165 adolescents between 11 and 14 years old (M = 12.11, SD = 0.89). The intervention group demonstrated improvements compared to the control group concerning online grooming, problematic Internet use, Internet gaming disorder, and nomophobia. These results suggest that the Safety.net program is effective in preventing the increase of most of the assessed risks and that it reduces some of them with a small number of sessions.

An Exploratory Analysis of Different Problematic Internet Use Profiles in Cybervictims, Cyberbullies, and Cyberbully Victims.

The Internet has brought about a paradigm shift in the lives of many people, especially adolescents. While it has opened great possibilities, it has also led to various risks such as cyberbullying and problematic Internet use (PIU). These two constructs have been extensively researched individually and jointly, but the existence of different profiles of problematic use according to the role a person assumes in the context of cyberbullying has not yet been explored. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to analyze the different PIU profiles of those who have been cybervictims, cyberbullies, and cyberbully victims. An analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted on 25,341 adolescents between 10 and 18 years of age (14.60 ± 1.68). The Cyberbullying Triangulation Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Spanish version of the Generalized and Problematic Internet Use Scale-2 (GPIUS2) were used. The results indicate that cybervictims (6.4 percent), cyberbullies (4.3 percent), and cyberbully victims (2.7 percent) have different profiles of PIU (p < 0.001). Two common profiles emerge from the three roles: one of nonproblematic use and the other of severe problematic use. Participants who presented severe problematic use are the ones who obtained higher scores in cybervictimization and cyberaggression, particularly in the case of cyberbully victims. Furthermore, this profile is 7.6 (IC99 percent:6.11-9.44) times more likely to present PIU than noninvolved adolescents. These results are relevant when planning cyberbullying-focused interventions and programs because of the association between cyberbullying and general PIU.

Cyberbullying among Adolescents: Psychometric Properties of the CYB-AGS Cyber-Aggressor Scale.

The present study aims to analyze the psychometric properties of the revised version of the Adolescent Cyber-Aggressor scale (CYB-AGS). This scale is composed of 18 items that measure direct and indirect cyberbullying. A cross-sectional study was conducted using two independent samples of adolescents. The first sample included 1318 adolescents (52.6% girls) from 12 to 16 years old (M = 13.89, SD = 1.32). The second sample included 1188 adolescents (48.5% boys) from 12 to 16 years old (M = 14.19, SD = 1.80). First, to study the psychometric properties of the CYB-AGS, exploratory factor analysis was performed on Sample 1. Results indicated a two-factor structure: direct cyber-aggression and indirect cyber-aggression. Second, to verify the structure of the CYB-AGS, we selected Sample 2 to conduct confirmatory factor analysis and test the scale's convergent validity with theoretically-related measures. Results confirmed the reliability and validity of the two-dimensional model. Moreover, measurement invariance was established. Finally, regarding convergent validity, positive correlations were obtained between cyberbullying and aggressive behaviors in school, anger expression, negative attitudes towards school, and transgression of norms. Furthermore, negative correlations were found between cyberbullying and attitudes towards institutional authority.

Relations among Romantic Myths, Offline Dating Violence Victimization and Cyber Dating Violence Victimization in Adolescents.

Cyber dating violence is an increasing problem with serious negative consequences for adolescents. Further knowledge about related variables is necessary to develop preventive strategies. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlations among cyber dating violence victimization (cyber-control and cyber-aggression), offline dating violence victimization (physical, verbal-emotional, and relational) and adolescents' beliefs in myths of romantic love; and to examine possible differences in cyber-control victimization, cyber-aggression victimization and offline dating violence victimization (relational, physical and verbal-emotional) according to adolescents' levels of belief (low vs. high) in myths of romantic love. The role of offline dating violence victimization (physical, verbal-emotional and relational) and romantic myths as predictor variables of cyber-control and cyber-aggression victimization was also explored. All these analyses were carried out separately with boys and girls. Of an initial sample of 919 adolescents, those who have had a dating relationship in the past year (492 adolescents, M = 15.10, SD = 1.59) were included. The regression analyses revealed that offline dating violence victimization and romantic myths were significant predictors of cyber-control and cyber-aggression victimization for both boys and girls, but explained variance was higher for girls. Verbal-emotional offline dating violence victimization was the main predictor of cyber-control victimization, and physical and relational offline dating violence victimizations were the main predictors of cyber-aggression victimization. These results can be useful for developing more effective offline and cyber dating violence prevention programs.

Joint association of bullying and cyberbullying in health-related quality of life in a sample of adolescents.

PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been analyzed in relation to multiple psychosocial and health problems. However, only a few studies have analyzed the impact of bullying and cyberbullying on HRQoL. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the level of severity of bullying and cyberbullying on HRQoL. The effects of different roles, especially the conjunctions of of victim-cybervictim and bully-victim/cyberbully-cybervictim on HRQoL, were explored. METHODS: An analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted in a region of northern Spain. Random and representative sampling was employed. The participants included 12, 285 adolescents between 11 and 18 years of age, with a mean age of 14.69 ± 1.73. The Spanish version of the KIDSCREEN-27, the Spanish version of the European bullying intervention project questionnaire (EBIPQ), and the cyberbullying triangulation questionnaire (CTQ) were employed. RESULTS: The prevalence of bullying victimization, cybervictimization, bullying perpetration, and cyberbullying perpetration was 12%, 8.1%, 10.4%, and 7%, respectively. Significant and negative correlations between all the dimensions of the EBIPQ and the CTQ with the KIDSCREEN-27 were found. Victimization and cybervictimization had more impact than bullying perpetration and cyberbullying perpetration, especially on psychological well-being and school environment. The mixed roles of the victim-cybervictim and victim-cybervictim/bully-cyberbully obtained lower scores than the remaining roles in all the dimensions of KIDSCREEN-27. CONCLUSIONS: Those in mixed roles related to victimization and cybervictimization obtained the lowest scores in all HRQoL dimensions. The results enhance an understanding of the severity of the problem of bullying and cyberbullying and their impact on HRQoL.

Profiles of Problematic Internet Use and Its Impact on Adolescents' Health-Related Quality of Life.

The internet has been a breakthrough for adolescents in many ways, but its use can also become dysfunctional and problematic, leading to consequences for personal well-being. The main objective is to analyze profiles related to problematic internet use and its relationship with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). An analytical and cross-sectional study was carried out in a region of northern Spain. The sample comprised 12,285 participants. Sampling was random and representative. Mean age and standard deviation was 14.69 ± 1.73 (11-18 years). The Spanish versions of the Problematic and Generalized Internet Use Scale (GPIUS2) and of the Health-Related Quality of Life (KIDSCREEN-27) were used. Four profiles were detected (non-problematic use, mood regulator, problematic internet use, and severe problematic use). The prevalence of these last two profiles was 18.5% and 4.9%, respectively. Problematic internet use correlated negatively and significantly with HRQoL. The severe problematic use profile presented a significant decrease in all dimensions of HRQoL. Analyses were carried out to extract a diagnostic cut-off point for GPIUS2 (52 points). The results and practical implications are discussed.

Effects of Intervention Program Prev@cib on Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying.

Due to the negative consequences of being bullied and the increase in cyberbullying among adolescents, there is a need for evidence-based programs to prevent and intervene in these types of peer violence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Prev@cib bullying and cyberbullying program, drawing on three theoretical frameworks: the ecological model, empowerment theory, and the model of personal and social responsibility. The Prev@cib program was evaluated using a repeated-measures pre-post-test design with an experimental group and a control group. The sample consisted of 660 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old (M = 13.58, SD = 1.26), randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Repeated-measures ANOVA of pre-post-test scores were conducted. Results showed a significant decrease in bullying and victimization and cyberbullying and cybervictimization in the experimental group, compared to the control group, indicating that the Prev@cib program is effective in reducing bullying and cyberbullying. Taking into account the harmful effects of these types of violence, the results have important implications in the prevention of these behaviors because they provide scientific evidence of the program's effectiveness.