The Protective Role of Dispositional Mindfulness on Cyber Dating Abuse: A 6-Month Longitudinal Study.

Dispositional mindfulness has been related to a decreased propensity to aggressive behaviors toward others, including dating partners. Nevertheless, research in the context of romantic relationships is scarce, based on cross-sectional designs and offline (face to face) aggression. Thus, this 6-month longitudinal study seeks to fill a gap in the literature by examining the predictive role of dispositional mindfulness facets (observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, and non-reacting) in the perpetration of cyber dating abuse (CDA) behaviors in adolescents. The moderator role of the dispositional mindfulness facets in the perpetuation over time of cyber aggression toward the partner was also explored. Participants were 501 high school students (54.1% girls; mean age: 14.17 years, SD = 1.39) from different regions of Spain who completed self-report measures about CDA and dispositional mindfulness at two time points with a 6-month interval between them. Path analysis showed that the acting with awareness mindfulness facet predicted a decrease in the perpetration of CDA 6 months later. Moreover, non-reacting showed a moderator role in the perpetuation over time of CDA. In particular, adolescents with higher scores on non-reacting, evidenced a lower perpetuation of CDA. Mindfulness-based interventions can be a valuable tool in preventing cyber aggression that occurs in adolescent dating relationships.

Internet-Risk Classes of Adolescents, Dispositional Mindfulness and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Mediational Model.

This study was primarily aimed at identifying classes of adolescents in relation to their probability of endorsing several risks associated with the Internet (cyberbullying victimization and perpetration, cyberdating abuse victimization, and perpetration, sexting, and grooming). The second objective was to examine a mediational model linking dispositional mindfulness, risk perception, exposure to antisocial content in the media, Internet-risk classes of adolescents, and health-related quality of life (HRQL). The sample comprised 3,076 adolescents (46.2% boys, ages between 12 and 21). Latent class analyses indicated the existence of five classes related to the probability of endorsing Internet risks: No risk (60.75%), only cyberbullying (25.5%), cyberbullying and cyberdating abuse (6.7%), all risks (4.3%), and sexual risk (2.9%). Three mindfulness facets, namely, acting with awareness, nonreacting, and nonjudging, were associated with all the classes of risks. This association was partially explained by the degree of exposure to antisocial content in the media and risk perception. Finally, membership in the Internet-risk classes was associated with a lower HRQL.