Propiedades psicométricas de la escala de bullying y cyberbullying de Thomas (BCS-A) en adolescentes argentinos / Psychometric Properties of the Thomas Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale in Argentinean Adolescents

El bullying o acoso escolar es un importante factor de riesgo para la salud mental de los adolescentes. Con el desarrollo de las nuevas tecnologías emergió un tipo de acoso llamado cyberbullying que presenta características cualitativas diferentes. Sin embargo, existen pocos instrumentos para medir ambas conductas conjuntamente. El objetivo de esta investigación era evaluar por vez primera las propiedades psicométricas de la escala BCS-A de Thomas et al. que mide el bullying y el cyberbullying multi-dimensionalmente en una muestra de adolescentes de habla española. Para este fin, se constituyó una muestra intencional de 842 alumnos (46% varones; 53% mujeres y 1% no binario) que cursaban estudios secundarios en la Argentina. Los participantes contestaron dicho cuestionario, el Cuestionario de Fortalezas y Dificultades de Goodman y preguntas demográficas. Los análisis factoriales –exploratorio y confirmatorio- indicaron cuatro dimensiones: victimización física, verbal, relacional y virtual, como también para llevar a cabo el bullying. También las consistencias internas eran adecuadas. Se halló validez concurrente con el Cuestionario de Goodman. De este modo, la escala BCS-A de Thomas et al. sería una herramienta útil para evaluar ambas problemáticas y tratar de examinar correlatos psicosociales específicos de ambos acosos. (AU)

Bullying is an important risk factor for the mental health of adolescents. With the development of new technologies, a type of harassment called cyberbullying emerged that presents different qualitative characteristics. However, there are few instruments to measure both behaviors together. The objective of this research was to evaluate for the first time the psychometric properties of the BCS-A scale by Thomas et al. that measures bullying and cyberbullying multi-dimensionally in a sample of Spanish-speaking adolescents. For this purpose, an intentional sample of 842 students who attended secondary school in Argentina (46% male, 53% female and 1% non-binary) was constituted. Participants answered the questionnaire, the Goodman Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and demographic questions. Factor analysis —exploratory and confirmatory— indicated four dimensions: physical, verbal, relational and virtual victimization, as well as to carry out bullying. Also the internal consistencies were adequate. Concurrent validity was found with respect to Goodman Questionnaire. Thus, the BCS-A scale by Thomas et al. It would be a useful tool to evaluate both issues and try to examine specific psychosocial correlates of both bullying. (AU)

Effects of school sandplay group therapy on children victims of cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying among children is increasing every year, leading to serious public health problems. Victims suffer serious aftereffects such as depression and suicidal ideation; therefore, early and appropriate psychological intervention and the role of schools are emphasized. This study investigated the effects of school sandplay group therapy (SSGT) on children affected by cyberbullying. This study was designed as a parallel-group non-randomized controlled trial. The study subjects were 139 elementary school students (mean age 11.35 years; standard deviation, 0.479; age range 12-13 years) residing in Cheonan City, Korea, who were assigned to the intervention and comparison groups. The intervention group received 10 sessions of therapy on a weekly basis, for 40 minutes per session. No therapy was administered in the control group. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed using the Children Depression Inventory, Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Junior, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The assessment for the comparison group was performed concurrently with that of the intervention group. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance. In this study, the SSGT group showed a significant decrease in depression and suicidal ideation compared to the control group after sandplay group therapy (SGT), and a significant increase in self-esteem. It was confirmed that SSGT can mitigate the negative consequences of cyberbullying and strengthen protective factors. This suggests that the SSGT can be successfully used for crisis counseling.

Formação em psicologia escolar: implicações para a prática em equipe multiprofissional / The school psychology formation: implications for the practice in multidisciplinary team / Formación en psicología escolar: implicaciones para la práctica en equipo multiprofesional

O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi levantar o perfil sociodemográfico e formativo de psicólogos escolares, e discutir seu impacto nas práticas junto ao coletivo escolar e no trabalho em equipe. No município onde ocorreu a pesquisa, o psicólogo escolar é membro da equipe de especialistas em Educação. Participaram da pesquisa 62 psicólogos que atuam no Ensino Fundamental I, II, e na Educação de Jovens e Adultos. Os participantes responderam um questionário on-line com perguntas abertas e fechadas sobre dados sociodemográficos, de formação e atuação profissional. Realizou-se uma análise qualitativa a partir dos objetivos e itens do instrumento, quais sejam: caracterização do perfil sociodemográfico dos psicólogos escolares, formação acadêmica, atuação em psicologia escolar, atuação em outros campos/áreas da psicologia, e atuação em equipe de especialistas. A média de idade dos profissionais é de 47,46 anos, e apenas um é do sexo masculino. Possuem tempo de atuação de um a 36 anos, e a maioria não possui estágio supervisionado e pós-graduações no campo da psicologia escolar. Parte das equipes que trabalham nas escolas está incompleta, e há uma variabilidade nos dias e horários de reuniões. Reafirma-se que a formação de psicólogos escolares tem repercussões na atuação junto à equipe multidisciplinar, e a importância de intervenções pautadas na perspectiva crítica e psicossocial em Psicologia Escolar. Ademais, conhecer o perfil sociodemográfico e formativo destes profissionais possibilita obter um quadro atualizado sobre o grupo pesquisado e criar estratégias de intervenção que potencializem a atuação desses profissionais junto à equipe de especialistas e demais setores da escola.(AU)

The aim of this research is to identify the sociodemographic and training profile of school psychologists, and discuss their impact on practices within the school collective and the teamwork. In the city where the research took place, the school psychologist is a member of the council's expert team in Education. The research participants included 62 psychologists that work in elementary and intermediate school, and EJA. They answered an open and multiple choice online survey on sociodemographic, formation, and working data. A qualitative analysis was conducted considering its objectives and items, namely: sociodemographic profile, academic education, professional background on school psychology, other psychology fields/ areas, and participation on expert teams. The professionals are 47 and 46 years old, average, only one of them being male. They work in this position from one up to 36 years, and most of them do not have training experience and postgraduate studies in school psychology. Part of the teams working at schools are incomplete, and there is a variability concerning days and hours to team meetings. It is notable that the training profile of psychologists has repercussions in the performance with the multidisciplinary team, and in the importance of interventions based on critical and psychosocial perspectives in School Psychology. Moreover, knowing the sociodemographic and training profile of these professionals allowed us to have an updated chart about the researched group, as well as to create intervention strategies that enhance these professionals' performance within the expert team and other sectors of the school.(AU)

Esta investigación tuvo por objetivo levantar el perfil sociodemográfico y formativo de psicólogos escolares para discutir su impacto en las prácticas junto al colectivo escolar y al trabajo en equipo. En el municipio donde ocurrió la investigación, este profesional es miembro del equipo municipal de especialistas en Educación. Participaron 62 psicólogos que actúan en la educación primaria, secundaria y en la educación para jóvenes y adultos (EJA), y que respondieron a un cuestionario en línea con preguntas abiertas y de opción múltiple sobre datos sociodemográficos, de formación y de actuación profesional. Se realizó un análisis cualitativo según sus objetivos e ítems, o sea: perfil sociodemográfico, formación académica, actuación en Psicología Escolar, en otros campos/áreas de la Psicología o en equipo de especialistas. La edad mediana de los profesionales es de 46-47 años, y solo uno es del sexo masculino. El tiempo de actuación en el área varía entre 1 y 36 años, y la mayoría de los encuestados no tiene formación inicial y posgrado en el campo de la Psicología Escolar. Parte de los equipos que trabajan en las escuelas está incompleta, y existe una variabilidad en los días y horarios de reuniones. Se observó que la formación de los psicólogos escolares tiene repercusiones en la actuación con el equipo multidisciplinario y en la importancia de intervenciones basadas en la perspectiva crítica y psicosocial en Psicología Escolar. Además, conocer su perfil sociodemográfico y formativo posibilita obtener un cuadro actualizado sobre el grupo investigado, además de crear estrategias de intervención que potencialicen la actuación junto al equipo de especialistas y a los demás sectores de la escuela.(AU)

The roles of gratitude and mindfulness between cyberbullying perpetration and depression among children in rural China: A moderated mediation model.

Previous literature suggests that gratitude and mindfulness-based intervention could effectively abate stressful life events, while the associations with cyberbullying perpetration have not been investigated. Little is known about the mechanisms of this association, especially for children who lack sufficient parental protection. The current study aimed to examine the roles of mindfulness and gratitude in the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and depression among children and adolescents. This study employed data from a school-based survey conducted in 2018, in which 1298 students aged 9-16 years were randomly selected from three elementary and middle schools in China. The moderated mediation effects of gratitude and mindfulness on the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and depression were examined through PROCESS model. Results showed that mindfulness mediated the relationship between cyberbullying perpetration and depression, while gratitude moderated and weakened the relationship. The findings may offer insights into the awareness and intervention programs regarding positive psychological mechanisms to reduce cyberbullying perpetration among children and adolescents in China.

Digital resilience mediates healthy use of technology.

Excessive use of online technology brings with it the risk of problematic digital behaviour like over-use of social media, online gambling, webinar fatigue, digital burnout, and in extreme cases doom surfing, and doom scrolling. In addition, digital failures can cause significant mental health distress to people, and unhealthy interactions on social media can also lead to deviant behaviour such as cyber bullying and cybercrime. This paper discusses the various vulnerabilities an individual is predisposed to on the internet, and highlights the importance of "Digital Resilience". Digital resilience is a new concept which refers to the learning, recovery, and bouncing back process after having negative or adverse experiences online. A comprehensive and holistic model to introduce Digital Resilience to everyone through a multitier approach that includes Individual, Societal, and Community intervention is formulated and elaborated. The importance of addressing these concerns from both a psychological and legal perspective is also discussed.

Cyberbullying victimization and nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: Testing a moderated mediating model of emotion reactivity and dispositional mindfulness.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how cyberbullying victimization may influence adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and what conditions may buffer the detrimental effects of cyberbullying victimization. By integrating multiple theories, this study investigated emotion reactivity as an underlying mediator and mindfulness as a potential moderator to explain the link between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI among Chinese adolescents. METHOD: A total of 2,523 participants with an age range of 11 to 16 years old (Mage = 13.22, SD = 1.60, 48.4% girls) completed assessments. RESULTS: After controlling SES, age, gender, traditional bullying victimization, and child maltreatment, latent moderated structural equation modeling revealed that emotion reactivity mediated the association between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI. In addition, dispositional mindfulness was found to buffer the relation between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI, but not the relation between cyberbullying victimization and emotion reactivity. LIMITATIONS: This study was cross-sectional in nature and relied exclusively upon self-report measures. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide researchers and practitioners with a deeper understanding of the relation between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI among adolescents and its underlying mechanism. Suggested intervention and prevention strategies include helping youth reduce emotion reactivity to break the cyberbullying victimization to NSSI cycle and to enhance youths' mindfulness to buffer against the ill effects of cyberbullying victimization.

Family Incivility and Cyberbullying Perpetration Among College Students: Negative Affect as a Mediator and Dispositional Mindfulness as a Moderator.

Although family factors are associated with cyberbullying, few studies have investigated the relationship between family incivility and cyberbullying perpetration. The current study aimed to examine the associations between family incivility and cyberbullying perpetration among college students, and further investigate the underlying moderated mediation mechanism. Study 1 was a cross-sectional survey among 640 Chinese undergraduate students (Mage = 20.29 years, SD = 1.38). Demographics, family incivility, cyberbullying perpetration, and negative affect were assessed. The results supported the idea that negative affect plays a role in mediating the relationship between family incivility and cyberbullying perpetration. Study 2 used a two-wave longitudinal design, aiming to examine both the mediating role of negative affect and the moderating role of dispositional mindfulness (represented through five facets-observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging, and nonreacting-each of which were analyzed separately). The data were collected from 200 Chinese undergraduate and graduate students (Mage = 22.18, SD = 2.56). Negative affect was also found to play a mediation effect in this study. Furthermore, the results found that acting with awareness and nonjudging weakened the relationship between family incivility and negative affect, whereas observing exacerbated it. Moreover, nonjudging exacerbated the relationship between negative affect and cyberbullying perpetration. The present findings indicate that negative affect may play a role in explaining the association between family incivility and cyberbullying perpetration. Furthermore, acting with awareness and nonjudging could buffer the relationship between family incivility and cyberbullying perpetration via negative affect, which provides a new insight for the prevention of and intervention on cyberbullying perpetration.

Cyberbullying victimization and nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents: The role of maladaptive schemas and dispositional mindfulness.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has found associations between cyberbullying victimization and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents. Exploration of the possible mediating variables involved is necessary to support intervention with victims. OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether depression and early maladaptive schemas (EMS) mediate the association between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI, along with the potential protective role of dispositional mindfulness. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A total of 742 Spanish adolescents (50.20% girls) between 12 and 17 years old (M = 14.58; SD = 1.00) participated in the final sample. METHOD: Participants completed measures of cyberbullying victimization, NSSI, EMS, depression, and mindfulness facets. Mediational models moderated by facets of mindfulness were tested. RESULTS: Cyberbullying victimization was associated with NSSI through increased depression and EMS. Acting with awareness buffered the association between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI, whereas non-judging increased the association between cyberbullying victimization and depression. CONCLUSIONS: Cybervictimization is associated with NSSI. The mindfulness facet of acting with awareness plays a protector role. Interventions in NSSI and cyberbullying could benefit from these findings.

Longitudinal cross-lagged analyses between cyberbullying perpetration, mindfulness and depression among Chinese high school students.

The aim of this study is to examine the longitudinal relationships between cyberbullying perpetration, mindfulness, and depression among Chinese adolescents. The participants in our study included 1390 high school students who were randomly selected from several secondary schools in east China. Participants completed the Chinese version of Revised Cyber Bullying Inventory-Cyberbullying Subscale, the Chinese version of the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale and the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children at two time points (6-month interval). The results found that cyberbullying, mindfulness and depression would predict each other over time. Contributions to theory, limitations in our research and recommendations for future intervention are discussed in this article.

Cyberbullying victimization and problematic Internet use among Chinese adolescents: Longitudinal mediation through mindfulness and depression.

Although previous research has demonstrated that the experience of cyberbullying victimization is associated with behavioral and psychological health problems, it is still unclear how cyberbullying victimization affects physical and mental health issues. Our aim was to test the longitudinal linkage between cyberbullying victimization and problematic Internet use (PIU) via the possible mediating roles of mindfulness and depression. This study employed a two-wave longitudinal design. 661 Chinese junior high school students were assessed using self-reported questionnaires about cyberbullying victimization, mindfulness, severity of depression, and PIU. The results revealed that the experience of cyberbullying victimization was positively related to PIU through the mediating variables of mindfulness and depression.

Mindfulness and Cyberbullying Among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Perceived Social Support and Empathy.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have shown that mindfulness is associated with fewer cyberbullying behaviors in adolescents. The present study investigated the ways in which mindfulness is related to cyberbullying in Chinese adolescents by considering the role of empathy and perceived social support. METHODS: A total of 1,390 Chinese high school students were recruited for this study. Adolescents' self-reports of mindfulness, cyberbullying, empathy, and perceived social support were used in the analyses. RESULTS: The results showed our model fitted the data well [χ2/df = 2.413, CFI = 0.968, TLI = 0.958, RMSEA (90% CI) = 0.059 (0.040-0.078)], and revealed empathy and perceived social support partially mediate the relationship between mindfulness and cyberbullying. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate adolescents' mindfulness plays a crucial role on the likelihood of cyberbullying as well as empathy and perceived social support. Improving the mindfulness skills of adolescents should be considered by teachers and parents seeking to decrease cyberbullying.

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.

Bullying victimization: time trends and the overlap between traditional and cyberbullying across countries in Europe and North America.

OBJECTIVES: This study explores recent cross-national trends over time (2002-2014) in the occurrence of victimization by bullying; then it documents the overlap between cybervictimization and traditional bullying in 2014 among adolescents in 37 countries. METHODS: Data from four cycles (2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014) of the cross-national Health Behavior in School-Aged Children study were included (N = 764,518). Trends in traditional victimization were evaluated using logistic regression models in 37 countries. Prevalence of cybervictimization and the overlap between cybervictimization and traditional victimization were estimated. RESULTS: Linear decreases in bullying victimization were observed in 21 countries among boys, and in 12 countries among girls. The prevalence of cybervictimization was systematically lower than traditional victimization. Overall across all countries, 45.8% of those who reported cybervictimization also reported traditional victimization (46.5% for boys and 45.3% for girls), but wide country variations were observed. CONCLUSIONS: These indicate the need for a more holistic perspective to intervention and prevention that considers all expressions of bullying, traditional or online. Public health programs and policies could focus on addressing bullying more broadly, rather than focusing on behaviors that happen in a particular context.

The Protective Role of Dispositional Mindfulness Against the Perpetuation of Cyberbullying Victimization and Perpetration Among Adolescents.

Few studies have examined the protective factors that contribute to reducing long-term involvement in cyberbullying (CB). This study examined whether dispositional mindfulness is associated with the reduced stability over time (i.e., long-term involvement) of CB victimization and perpetration and with the lower reciprocity of both. This was a three-wave longitudinal study spaced 6 months apart. The sample consisted of 985 high school students from the Basque Country (Spain). The participants completed a mindfulness measure at time one and measures of CB victimization and perpetration at three time points. Dispositional mindfulness was negatively associated with both CB victimization and CB perpetration over time. The predictive association between CB victimization and perpetration was reciprocal from time two to time three. Moreover, the interaction between dispositional mindfulness and CB victimization indicated that victimization was less stable over time when mindfulness was higher. The model was invariant across gender or age. The results indicate that CB is a long-term problem and that dispositional mindfulness can be beneficial because it predicts a lower frequency of CB victimization and perpetration over time.

Impact of Spirituality/Religiousness on Cyber Bullying and Victimization in University Students: Mediating Effect of Emotional Intelligence.

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between spirituality/religiousness with cyber bullying and victimization amongst Indian University students and whether emotional intelligence mediates the relationship. Data were collected from 490 University students studying in undergraduate and postgraduate courses across India. IBM AMOS was used to find reliability and validity of instruments and PROCESS macro for IBM SPSS by Preacher and Hayes (Behav Res Methods 36(4): 717-731, 2004) was used for conducting mediation analyses. Both spiritual and existential well-being were found negatively related with cyber bullying and victimization. As far as mediation goes, the negative relationships between spiritual and existential well-being with that of cyber bullying and victimization were significantly mediated by Appraisal of Self-Emotions, Appraisal of Other's Emotions and Regulation and control of Emotions dimensions of emotional intelligence. Implication and future directions are also discussed.