Cyberbullying involvement roles and viewing of suicide-related web-content

An overview of the results of a study investigating the relationships between cyberbullying roles, viewing of specific suicide-related web content, and psychological problems in young people. Data from a representative sample of N = 19,406 (50% girls) 11–16-year-olds across 25 European countries were analysed. This was collected as part of the EU Kids Online Study

Types of cyberbullying involvement and mental health problems

Cyberbullying has been found to be associated with self-harm related behaviours and mental health difficulties. The current study aims to investigate adolescents’ viewing of web content related to self-harm and suicide as well as different kinds of mental health difficulties while differentiating between types of involvement in cyberbullying (bullies, victims or bully-victims). Their involvement in cyberbullying and viewing of self-harm or suicide websites was asked of 18,709 11–16 year old Internet users in 25 European countries. Further, crossing of a clinical threshold for different mental health difficulties was assessed. The viewing of self-harm and suicide websites differed according to the involvement in cyberbullying with those not involved showing the least and bully-victims showing the highest prevalence. Those not involved in cyberbullying showed the lowest prevalence for being above the clinical threshold for all mental health difficulties. Victims and bully-victims were highest on emotional and peer problems while bullies and bully-victims were highest for conduct problems. Multi-nominal logistic regression predicting cyberbullying categories showed that the relations above remained stable while adding mental health difficulties and website content simultaneously as predictors. Findings suggest that viewing of self-harm related websites as well as mental health difficulties are independently associated with different types of involvement in cyberbullying

Does stereotyping exacerbate obesity?

Considerable evidence suggests that stereotypical stigmatisation of obesity is psychologically damaging and counter-productive to successful weight loss

Cyber-bullying from a socio-ecological perspective: a review of evidence from cross-national data

Background: Involvement in bullying has been shown to result from a complex interplay between individuals and their wider social environment. Using Bronfenbrenner's classic ecological theory as a starting point the current paper reviews findings on cyber-bullying from the cross-national survey data of the EU Kids Online project; a representative sample of 25,142 internet-using European children aged 9-16 years. Methods: Research outputs on cyber-bullying using the EU Kids Online data were accumulated. With the child at the centre, factors associated with cyberbullying were considered at different levels of the socio-ecological system: a) the individual level (e.g., socio-demographic, psychological and internet use characteristics of the child), b) the immediate social environment (e.g., awareness, mediation and support sought of parents, teachers and peers), and c) the more distal environment (e.g., policy regulations, national statistics and cultural norms at the country level).The results for each level were reviewed and synthesised using a qualitative approach. Findings: Risk and protective factors associated with the experience of cyber-bullying were identified on the level of the individual (e.g., psychological difficulties increased risk), the social environment (e.g., peer support increased coping), the country (e.g., higher national crime rates increased risk) and their interactions (e.g., online activities were related to cyber-bullying dependent on countries’ mobile phone penetration). Discussion: An evidence-based framework with regards to the experience of cyber-bullying among young people from a socio-ecological perspective is presented. Implications for prevention and intervention efforts to consider different levels of the socio-ecological system as well as their interactions are pointed out

Regulatory Fit from Stereotype Threat: Enhancing Women’s Leadership Aspirations

A series of studies investigates the impact of regulatory fit on women’s leadership aspirations. A regulatory fit occurs when an outcome is presented in gain frames under a promotion focus and in loss frames under a prevention focus. Combining research on regulatory focus and research on stereotype threat it is argued that regulatory fit may result from stereotype threat (loss frame) under a prevention focus and from the absence of stereotype threat (gain frame) under a promotion focus. In line with previous research it is proposed that regulatory fit a) enhances motivation (Studies 1 and 2) and b) creates a feeling right experience that increases the persuasiveness of external stimuli (Study 3). In all three experiments regulatory fit was operationalized as experiencing stereotype threat when under a prevention focus or, respectively, experiencing the absence of stereotype threat when under a promotion focus. Further, women’s aspirations to engage in a leadership role were assessed. In Studies 1 and 2 it was shown that women’s motivation to occupy a leadership role was enhanced in the regulatory fit conditions compared to women in the nonfit conditions. Study 3 demonstrated that a stimulus (i.e., role model) was more persuasive under regulatory fit. Women experiencing regulatory fit compared to women in the nonfit conditions were more persuaded by role models, showing more interest in a leadership role when confronted with a positive model and less interest when confronted with a negative model. These studies show that stereotype threat can elicit regulatory fit, which in turn affects women’s leadership aspirations. Future directions and limitations are discussed

Cyberbullying experiences on-the-go: when social media can become distressing

The current study examines the differences between those who have been cyberbullied online and on mobile devices (on-the-go) and those who have been cyberbullied online but not on mobile devices. Additionally, country differences in cyberbullying on-the-go are explored. Analyses were carried out employing a random stratified sample of 25,142 children aged 9-16 from 25 European countries. A multilevel stepwise logistic regression with cyberbullying mode (online and mobile phone vs. online only) as the dependent variable showed that among online bully victims being cyberbullied on-the-go was less likely in Bulgaria and Denmark and more likely in Sweden when compared to the odds across all countries. Moreover, being cyberbullied on-the-go was associated with being older, female and using the internet on-the-go (step 1), higher sensation seeking, psychological difficulties and being more upset by the experience (step 2) as well as a higher likelihood of being bullied via social networking sites (SNS) and instant messages (IM) but not the range of cyberbullying types experienced (step 3). In this last step of the analysis being upset by the experience as well as psychological difficulties ceased to be related to the mode of cyberbullying suggesting that cyberbullying experiences on SNS and IM are potential mechanisms by which cyberbullying on-the-go is experienced as more distressing

A socio-ecological perspective of adolescents’ risk and resilience online

In this presentation I will synthesise some of my research relating to adolescent’s online risk experiences whilst taking into account different levels of the socio-ecological environment. That is, adolescents’ vulnerability to online harm will be considered against individual, social and cultural level risk and resilience factors. Some commonly held myths about the “danger” of the internet will be reassessed. The presentation will pre-dominantly focus on findings from analyses of the EU Kids Online survey data, a representative cross-national sample of ca. 25.000 10-16-year olds across 25 European countries. Addressed variables will include adolescents’ socio-demographic, behavioural and psychological factors as well as coping responses. Moreover, socio-structural indicators of inequality on a cross-national level will be considered. Using the example of cyberbullying, vulnerability and resilience factors will be discussed in more depth

Adolescents multiple risk behaviours on the Internet across 25 European countries

Adolescence has long been considered a period of increased risk behaviour. Moreover, research suggests that those engaging in one type of risk behaviour often additionally do so in others, i.e. engage in multiple risks. The current generation of adolescents are making ever more use of the Internet and are also referred to as the digital natives. Consequently, adolescents risk behaviour also occurs online. The current study investigates multiple risk behaviours of 11–16 year old Internet users in 25 European countries. Cluster-analysis revealed that while the majority of adolescents display no risky behaviours, those who do are either involved in multiple risk behaviours (i.e. all risks studied), engage in only one but no other risk (i.e. making new contacts online) or engage in multiple risks but not cyber-bullying. Psychological and ecological predictors of differential risk behaviours online as well as possible consequences in terms of coping and well-being will be discussed