Bullying Victimization and Adverse Childhood Experiences: Retrospective Reports of Relative Impact on Emotional Distress.

The literature suggests that there is a significant overlap in definition, measurement, and outcomes between trauma and bullying victimization, but the relative impact on current emotional distress of these events has not been explored. The goal of the current study was to explore whether traditional and cyber bullying victimization has a similar negative impact on current emotional disrtresss as other adverse childhood experiences which may also lead to a traumatic response. In addition, this study examined whether the association between bullying victimization and emotional distress is exacerbated when individuals also experience additional ACEs. Retrospective reports from a diverse sample of 576 adults were collected via an online survey. When ranked against other ACEs such as viewing family mental health problems or substance abuse, or verbal, physical, emotional, and sexual victimization not from peers, nearly 30% of participants ranked bullying victimization as having the most negative impact on their levels of emotional distress. Multi-group path analyses indicated that experiencing additional ACEs seems to exacerbate distress caused by bullying and cyber bullying victimization. The current study suggests that bullying victimization may be just as detrimental as other types of ACEs that occur in childhood.

Pandemic Stress and Cyberbullying Among Adolescents During China's Outbreak of Omicron: Examining the Roles of Perceived Safety and Family Cohesion.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed risks to the psychosocial development of children and adolescents in the digital age. Under such a background, this study aims to examine the effects of pandemic stress on cyberbullying perpetration and victimization among Chinese adolescents, and to explore the mediator of perceived safety and the moderator of family cohesion underlying this association, during China's outbreak of Omicron. A sample of 822 adolescents was obtained from Taizhou in Zhejiang Province, China, based on a multistage cluster random sampling method. The results showed that pandemic stress was positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Moreover, pandemic stress negatively predicted perceived safety, which in turn, increased the probability of cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Furthermore, family cohesion moderated the effects of pandemic stress on cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. This study contributes to practical implications for policy making and social work practices regarding how to protect adolescents from cyberbullying during the pandemic.

The Association between Cyberbullying Victimization and Depression among Children: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Cyberbullying victimization is becoming more prevalent and adversely affects mental health. This research explores the relationship between the two variables and the underlying mechanism, especially for children, as the impact of mental health in childhood might last a lifetime. Primary school students (N = 344; Mage = 9.90; 43.90% girls) completed self-report questionnaires regarding cyberbullying victimization, self-perceived social competence, optimism, and depression at school. Gender and grade were controlled as covariates. Depression was positively predicted by cyberbullying victimization, while self-perceived social competence played a partially mediating role. In addition, optimism directly and indirectly moderated the effects of cyberbullying victimization on depression. Specifically, the effects were stronger for children with low levels of optimism. Therefore, efforts to enhance children's self-perceived social competence and optimism may reduce their depression resulting from cyberbullying victimization.

The effects of cyberbullying victimization on cyberbullying perpetration among Chinese college students: callous-unemotional traits and the moderating role of Internet morality.

Introduction: The Internet has triggered a series of online deviant behaviors, and cyberbullying is one of them. Cyberbullying victimization as a category of frustration and the aggression triggered by it has been confirmed by many studies. Previous studies have explored the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and cyberbullying perpetration. However, the boundary conditions of the two have yet to be sufficiently explored, and this article will further explore the moderating effect in the transformation mechanism. Methods: The convenience sampling method was used to select a cumulative total of 668 students from university students of several universities in Beijing for the study, using questionnaires including Cyberbullying Victimization Questionnaire, Cyberbullying Perpetration Questionnaire, the Callous-unemotional Traits Scale, and Internet Morality Questionnaire. Results: (1) Controlling for gender and grade, cyberbullying victimization has a positive relationship with cyberbullying perpetration. (2) Callous-unemotional traits moderated the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. (3) Internet morality can moderate the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. (4) Callous-unemotional traits and Internet morality can co-regulate the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. Conclusion: The results indicate that cyberbullying victimization had a significant positive relationship with cyberbullying perpetration, a process moderated by callous-unemotional traits and Internet morality.

The Longitudinal Relationship between Cyberbullying Victimization and Loneliness among Chinese Middle School Students: The Mediating Effect of Perceived Social Support and the Moderating Effect of Sense of Hope.

Compared with traditional forms of bullying (e.g., physical bullying, verbal bullying), cyberbullying victimization can bring heavy psychological damage to the victim of bullying. Studies have found that cyberbullying victimization leads to higher levels of depression and causes anger and emotional problems. Nevertheless, existing studies mainly focus on traditional bullying while affording scant consideration to the longitudinal impact of cyberbullying on mental well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cyberbullying victimization on middle school students' loneliness while simultaneously investigating the mediating role of perceived social support and the moderating role of feelings of hope. A total of 583 middle school students were surveyed using four self-report questionnaires. Cyberbullying victimization predicts loneliness. Perceived social support mediates the role of cyberbullying victimization in influencing cyberbullying. Sense of hope moderated the direct pathway and the second half of the mediating role pathway. First, many mediating and moderating variables of cyberbullying victimization affect loneliness, and different mediating and moderating variables can be studied in the future. Second, future studies could expand this study's sample to validate the results of this study. Third, this study only collected data at two time points, and future studies could collect data at multiple time points. Cyberbullying victimization can increase loneliness over time. Perceived social support and a sense of hope can mitigate the effects of cyberbullying victimization on an individual's mental health.

The relationship between bullying victimization and problematic behaviors: A focus on the intrapersonal emotional competence and interpersonal social competence.

BACKGROUND: Evidence consistently demonstrated that bullying victimization was associated with problematic behaviors among adolescents. However, scant attention has been given to simultaneous comparisons of the impacts of two distinct forms of victimization, traditional bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization. In addition, the mechanisms underlying the relationship between bullying victimization and problem behavior remain inadequately explored. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the correlation between bullying victimization and problematic behaviors, as well as the mediating roles of intrapersonal emotional competence and interpersonal social competence. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A sample of 26,450 adolescents with a mean age of 15.44 (SD = 0.56) across nine countries was derived from the Study on Social and Emotional Skills (SSES). METHODS: Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling, comprising three key components: the measurement model, the structural model, and the bootstrapping analysis for mediating effects. RESULTS: Both traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization exhibited positive correlations with problematic behaviors, with cyberbullying victimization demonstrating a stronger effect. The mediating effects of intrapersonal emotional competence and interpersonal social competence were observed in the correlation between bullying victimization and problematic behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: This study not only contributed to our comprehension of the underlying mechanisms connecting bullying victimization and adolescent problematic behaviors, but also holds significance for policy development and practice.

Parental migration and cyberbullying victimization among Chinese left-behind children: understanding the association and mediating factors.

Introduction: Parental absence is greatly associated with school bullying victimization of left-behind children (LBC) in migrant families. With the increasing popularity of the Internet, little is known about the association between parental migration and cyberbullying victimization, and potential mediators. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Anhui and Zhejiang Province, China, in 2020. With a sample of 792 currently left-behind children (CLBC), 541 previously left-behind children (PLBC), and 628 never left-behind children (NLBC), path analysis was used to explore the association between parental migration and cyberbullying victimization among children, while considering the independent and sequential mediating roles of parent-child communication, and time spent online. Results: The prevalence of cyberbullying victimization was 29.3% among CLBC, 29.2% among PLBC, and 23.4% among NLBC. Path analysis showed that current left-behind status was positively associated with cyberbullying victimization among children (p = 0.024). Furthermore, current left-behind status was associated with worse parent-child communication, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.007, 0.036)]. Similarly, the previous left-behind experience was associated with worse parent-child communication, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.013, 0.043)]. Current left-behind status was associated with increased time spent online, which, in turn, predicted a higher prevalence of cyberbullying victimization [95% CI = (0.013, 0.038)]. Additionally, the current left-behind status positively predicted cyberbullying victimization among children through the serial mediating roles of parent-child communication and time spent online [95% CI = (0.001, 0.006)]. Similarly, previous left-behind experience positively predicted cyberbullying victimization among children through the serial mediating roles of parent-child communication and time spent online [95% CI = (0.002, 0.007)]. Discussion: We propose that to protect CLBC and PLBC from cyberbullying victimization, it is of great importance for migrant parents to regulate children's time spent online and promote daily parent-child communication.

Bullying Victimization and Malevolent Creativity in Rural Adolescents: The Longitudinal Mediational Role of Hostile Attribution.

Extensive research has documented bully victimization as a pivotal risk factor contributing to aggressive behaviors among adolescents. Particularly, the negative outcome of increased aggressive behaviors may be exacerbated when the aggressive actions are novel and difficult to detect. The present study aims to explore the complex relationships between cyberbullying and school bullying victimization and malevolent creativity and the potential mediating role of hostile attribution using two-wave longitudinal data. The present study analyzed data from 262 rural adolescents. The results revealed that cyberbullying victimization significantly predicted malevolent creativity, whereas school bullying victimization did not. Hostile attribution served as a mediator in the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and malevolent creativity in the longitudinal models. These findings provide significant implications for mitigating the negative influence of bullying victimization on the emergence of malevolent creativity in rural adolescents.

Cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation among in-school adolescents in three countries: implications for prevention and intervention.

BACKGROUND: Countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean are among the countries with the highest adolescent cyberbullying crimes. However, empirical evidence about the effect of cyberbullying victimization on suicidal ideation among in-school adolescents in these countries remains limited. The present study examined the association between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation among in-school adolescents in Argentina, Panama, St Vincent, and the Grenadines. METHODS: A representative cross-sectional data from 51,405 in-school adolescents was used. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between cyberbulling victimization and suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Overall, 20% and 21.1% of the adolescents reported cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation, respectively in the past year before the survey. Suicidal ideation was higher among adolescents who experienced cyberbullying victimization (38.4%) than those who did not experience cyberbullying victimization (16.6%). Significantly higher odds of suicidal ideation were found among adolescents who had experienced cyberbullying victimization than those who had not experienced cyberbullying victimization [aOR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.77-1.98]. CONCLUSION: This finding calls for developing and implementing evidence-based programs and practices by school authorities and other relevant stakeholders to reduce cyberbullying victimization among adolescents in this digital age. Protective factors such as parental support and peer support should be encouraged.

Attachment anxiety and cyberbullying victimization in college students: the mediating role of social media self-disclosure and the moderating role of gender.

Backgrounds and purpose: Cyberbullying is a globally prevalent social problem that threatens the wellbeing of young people. Despite a rising call for more research focused on cyberbullying victims, our understanding of the psychological and behavioral risk factors associated with cyberbullying victimization (CV) remains limited, especially among the Chinese population. However, such information is crucial for identifying potential victims and planning targeted educational and protective interventions. In this paper, we report an empirical investigation into how attachment anxiety (AA), social media self-disclosure (SMSD), and gender interplay with each other to influence CV. Methods: Cross-sectional survey data from 845 Chinese college students (Female = 635, Mage = 18.7) were analyzed in SPSS PROCESS using Haye's macro with the bootstrap method. Results: Our data support a moderated mediation model. First, SMSD partially mediates the positive relationship between AA and CV, which suggests individuals with high AA tend to engage in risky and excessive self-disclosure behavior on social media, which, in turn, expose them to an increased risk of cyberbullying. Second, gender moderates the direct AA-CV path and the second stage of the mediation path, making the effect of AA on CV appear more direct in males (i.e., not mediated by SMSD) and more indirect (i.e., fully mediated through SMSD) in females. Conclusion: The results contribute to an ongoing endeavor to better understand the psychological and behavioral mechanisms underlying CV and develop effective strategies to identify and protect vulnerable individuals.

The effect of cyberbullying victimization and traditional bullying victimization on suicidal ideation among Chinese female college students: The role of rumination and insomnia.

BACKGROUND: The issue of college student suicide has emerged as a significant global public health concern. To date, there has been a lack of extensive research on the effects of distinct forms of bullying victimization (traditional bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization) on suicidal ideation, as well as the differences between them. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between two forms of bullying victimization and suicidal ideation among female college students, while also considering the potential mediating effects of rumination and insomnia. METHODS: A total of 2106 female college students from Southern China participated in this study. The participants had a mean age of 19.83 years (SD = 1.04 years). Participants completed the MINI-C questionnaire, School Bullying Behavior Questionnaire, Cyberbullying Inventory (CBI), Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). The mediation models were conducted using Model 4 and Model 6 of the Process macro program in SPSS. RESULTS: The results showed that (1) the mediating effect of rumination in the relationship between different forms of bullying victimization and suicidal ideation was significant; (2) The mediating effect of insomnia in the relationship between traditional bullying victimization and suicidal ideation was not significant; the mediating effect between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal ideation was significant. (3) The chain mediating effect of rumination and insomnia in the relationship between different forms of bullying victimization and suicidal ideation were both significant. CONCLUSION: This study endeavor represents the first attempt to investigate the relationship between two forms of bullying victimization and suicidal ideation.

Growing relevance of reports of adolescent cyberbullying victimization among adult outpatients.

In the general population, prevalence rates of cyberbullying victimization have continuously increased over the past decades. However, the extent to which these increasing numbers affect clinical populations seeking treatment in outpatient services remains an open question. The present study sought to examine whether the increase of cyberbullying victimization is also reflected by increased reports of cyberbullying victimization in a clinical outpatient population. In addition, we assessed the incremental contribution of experiences of cyberbullying in the prediction of psychological symptoms when controlling for histories of childhood maltreatment and offline peer victimization. For this purpose, we analyzed routine data from N = 827 outpatients who had sought treatment at a University outpatient clinic for psychotherapy between 2012 and 2021 in a cross-sectional study design. Analyses showed that 8.3% of the patients born in the years 1980 to 2002 indicated the experience of cyberbullying victimization in their adolescence. The rate of reported cyberbullying victimization increased from 1 to 3% in patients born in the years 1980 to 1987 to 24% in patients born in the year 2000. A logistic regression revealed that patients born in the years 1995-2002 were up to nineteen times as likely to report cyberbullying victimization as patients born in the years 1980-1982. In addition, hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that cyberbullying victimization significantly accounted for an incremental proportion of variance (1%) in the prediction of psychological symptom distress after controlling for child maltreatment and offline peer victimization. In conclusion, this retrospective survey indicates an increase of the clinical relevance of cyberbullying victimization both in frequency of and potential contribution to etiology. Raising attention to cyberbullying in clinical care and research seems to be justified and warranted.

Association of cyberbullying victimization and substance initiation: The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence shows that cyberbullying is an important risk factor for various adverse mental health outcomes, such as substance use. However, there is limited evidence from longitudinal studies that assessed whether cyberbullying victimization is associated with substance use initiation, especially among adolescent population. METHODS: Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, we assessed the association between cyberbullying victimization and substance use initiation among adolescents. In the cross-sectional analysis at year 2, multivariable logistic regressions were used to assess the association between cyberbullying victimization history and substance use initiation. Additionally, the association between year 2 cyberbullying victimization in the past 12 months/lifetime and year 3 substance use initiation was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and the presence of depression/anxiety symptoms, lifetime history of cyberbullying victimization was significantly associated with substance use initiation (OR= 2.17, 95% CI: 1.68, 2.81). Recent cyberbullying victimization in the past 12 months was associated with two-times higher odds of initiating substances (OR= 2.31, 95% CI: 1.71, 3.12). In addition, both lifetime history of cyberbullying victimization and recent cyberbullying victimization at year 2 were associated with two times increased risk in substance use initiation at year 3 (OR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.68, 2.93; OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.68, 3.26). CONCLUSION: There is a significant relationship between cyberbullying victimization and substance use initiation among adolescents. Cyberbullying victims are at an increased risk of initiating substance use later in life.

Corrigendum: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions to decrease cyberbullying perpetration and victimization: an in-depth analysis within the Asia Pacific region.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1014258.].

The Impact of Cyberbullying Victimization on Academic Satisfaction among Sexual Minority College Students: The Indirect Effect of Flourishing.

This study examines the association between cyberbullying victimization and academic satisfaction through flourishing (psychological well-being) among 188 LGBTQ college students utilizing the lens of general strain theory and positive psychology. Results indicate that flourishing as a mediator explains the association between cyberbullying victimization and academic satisfaction among LGBTQ college students. For these students, flourishing can serve as a protective factor for their academic satisfaction. This finding highlights the need for college counselors, faculty, and administrators to foster psychological well-being among cyberbullied LGBTQ college students. Practice implications will guide the development of a campus-wide cyberbullying intervention for these students.

Differential Associations Among Cyberbullying Victimization, Parental Monitoring, and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Male and Female College Students.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the role of parental monitoring and help seeking in the relationship between cyberbullying victimization and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in male and female college students. METHOD: Data were collected for 336 college students (71.72% female and 28.28% male) aged 18 to 24 or older years from two universities in the Midwest and the South Central regions. RESULTS: Logistic regression indicated the interaction term of cyberbullying victimization and parental monitoring was negatively related to suicidal thoughts and behaviors in a male group (B = -.155, p < .05, Exp(B) = .86). DISCUSSION: Male students whose parents monitored about being safe on the computer had dramatically fewer suicidal thoughts/behaviors. In both male and female groups, seeking professional help was not a significant moderator that weakened the relationship. CONCLUSION: There is a need for additional research on the importance of prevention and intervention efforts to foster open dialogue between students and their parents.

Positive youth development attributes, mental disorder, and problematic online behaviors in adolescents: a longitudinal study amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents have increasingly suffered from online problem behaviors and mental disorders. But little research has paid attention to the protective factors among adolescents. Therefore, the present study attempted to investigate the role of positive youth development (PYD) attributes in adolescents' depression, internet gaming disorder (IGD) and cyberbullying/victimization (CBV). Methods: A total of 995 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 15.97 years, SD = 0.77, 325 boys) from two public high schools in Hubei province were recruited to participate in the three-wave longitudinal study over the span of 1 year during the pandemic (Time 1: November, 2020; Time 2: May, 2021; Time 3: November, 2021). Results: T1 PYD attributes negatively predicted T2 depression and T3 online problematic behaviors. T2 depression positively predicted IGD at T3. T3 IGD significantly predicted greater involvement in T3 CBV, and vice versa. Moreover, depression and one online problem behavior mediated the relationships between PYD attributes and the other online problem behavior, separately and sequentially. Discussion: These findings demonstrated the protective role of PYD attributes in prevention of mental disorders and online problem behaviors among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Comprehensive measures should be taken to assist young people to develop more PYD attributes to promote healthy growth.

Cyberbullying Victimization and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Early Adolescents: A Moderated Mediation Model of Social Anxiety and Emotion Reactivity.

This study examined the mediating role of social anxiety in the relation between cyberbullying victimization and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), as well as the moderating role of emotion reactivity in those associations. Participants included 2,864 adolescents (Mage = 12.46, SD = 1.36, 47.1 percent girls). Results of path analysis showed that cyberbullying victimization was significantly related to NSSI, and social anxiety plays a mediating role in the relation between them. Emotion reactivity strengthened the effect of cyberbullying victimization on NSSI and of social anxiety on NSSI. The results further showed that the mediating effect of social anxiety was more prominent for youths who have higher levels of emotion reactivity. Interventions to reduce adolescent social anxiety and emotion reactivity may interrupt the pathway from cyberbullying victimization to NSSI.

The relationship between parental neglect and cyberbullying perpetration among Chinese adolescent: The sequential role of cyberbullying victimization and internet gaming disorder.

Cyberbullying perpetration and victimization have been common public health issues that have impaired the development of adolescent physical and mental health. Abundant research has proven associations between negative parental factors and cyberbullying perpetration. However, there is a paucity of research exploring the impact of parental neglect on cyberbullying and its internal mechanisms. Based on the parental acceptance-rejection theory (PARTheory) and the general aggression model (GAM), the present study constructs a sequential mediation model in which parental neglect is related to adolescent cyberbullying perpetration through cyberbullying victimization and internet gaming disorder (IGD). Using random cluster sampling, a total of 699 middle school students (M age = 14.18 years, SD = 1.22, and 324 boys) were recruited from five schools in three provinces on mainland China. The participants completed questionnaires regarding parental neglect, cyberbullying perpetration, cyberbullying victimization, and IGD. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that parental neglect was positively associated with cyberbullying perpetration. The mediating effects of cyberbullying victimization and IGD in this relationship are significant both individually and jointly. The current findings have important implications for enlightening families and schools to pay particular attention to adolescents' experiences of parental neglect and provide them with timely feedback and assistance. This will contribute to the prevention and reduction of adolescent involvement in cyberbullying perpetration.

Longitudinal associations between traditional and cyberbullying victimization and depressive symptoms among young Chinese: A mediation analysis.

BACKGROUND: The impacts of bullying victimization on psychological health are long-lasting. However, the longitudinal mediating processes of the association between being bullied (traditionally and in a cyber context) and depressive symptoms of Chinese youth remain underexplored, including across the sexes. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the longitudinal association between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms, including the mediating effects of physical health, healthy lifestyles, sleep quality, and academic achievements. Different pathways from traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization regarding depressive symptoms were also explored, with a comparison across the sexes. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data were obtained from the China Education Panel Survey, and ninth graders aged approximately 15 years constituted the baseline cohort. METHODS: The baseline data and longitudinal data at two- and five-year follow-ups, respectively, were evaluated to estimate structural equation models. RESULTS: Baseline traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization significantly predicted subsequent depressive symptoms at both follow-ups (P < 0.001). Being bullied also predicted worse healthy lifestyles, poorer sleep quality, and lower academic achievements (P < 0.05), all significantly correlated with the development of depressive symptoms (P < 0.001) regarding both bullying victimizations. Physical health was the mediator of the traditional bullying victimization-depressive symptoms linkage (P < 0.05). Female victims have a relatively higher risk of depression versus male victims, with different mediating pathways from victimization to depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings strengthen the evidence of a longitudinal association between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms, provide new explanations for mechanisms of mediation, and highlight the importance of long-term comprehensive mental health interventions for victims of bullying.