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

Cyberbullying in Europe: a review of evidence from cross-national data

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Cyberostracism: Emotional and behavioral consequences in social media interactions

This study focuses on the effect of cyberostracism on social networking sites. Based on the temporal need-threat model of ostracism, we examined a) reflexive reactions, specifically worsened mood and threats to the four fundamental needs (i.e., belongingness, self-esteem, meaningful existence, and control), and b) reflective reactions, in the form of prosocial, antisocial, and avoidance behavior. We also focused on the role of social anxiety. Using the experimental tool Ostracism Online, we conducted an online experiment to manipulate ostracism, measure self-reported reflexive reactions, and measure reflective reactions in a newly developed cooperative financial game. The participants were 196 young Czech adults (age 18-30; 62% women). T-tests showed worsened mood and higher threat connected to all four of the fundamental needs in the reflexive stage in ostracized participants. Regression models showed that social anxiety had a small effect on reflexive reactions, but it did not moderate the effect of ostracism. The type of threatened need and social anxiety did not predict a reflective reaction. The only significant predictor of antisocial response was experienced ostracism. Even a mild form of ostracism such as the lack of reactions by strangers to a shared post can lead to negative emotional and behavioral consequences

EU Kids Online 2020: technical report

This report describes in detail the methodology used for the EU Kids Online IV project (see the description of the four phases of the project in the next section). Within this project, a large-scale survey of children aged 9–17 from 19 European countries was conducted. The data were collected between autumn 2017 and summer 2019 from 25,101 children by national teams from the EU Kids Online network. This report provides information about the nature of the project, how the questionnaire was developed, sampling and data collection, ethical issues, data management and weighting. The information in this report should enable dataset users to understand the logic and nature of the survey. For dataset users, we also recommend using the ‘Data Dictionary’ (available at eukidsonline.net), a related document that systematically maps all the information related to the data in the dataset. Moreover, Annex 2 of this report provides concise key guidelines for dataset users. We highly recommend using these short guidelines during work with the EU Kids Online 2020 dataset. Annex 3 contains a description of the key variables. Full questionnaires and their national forms are available at eukidsonline.net

EU Kids Online 2020: survey results from 19 countries

This report presents the findings from a survey of children aged 9–16 from 19 European countries. The data were collected between autumn 2017 and summer 2019 from 25,101 children by national teams from the EU Kids Online network. A theoretical model and a common methodology to guide this work was developed during four phases of the network’s work, and is discussed at the outset of this report. The main findings from the key topic areas are summarised, which correspond to the factors identified in the theoretical model: Access, Practices and skills, Risks and opportunities, and Social context. Throughout the report, findings are presented according to the countries surveyed, and the gender and age of the children. The survey findings are comparable across countries, and the methodology section presents the common methods followed

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated microRNA/mRNA signature is linked to metastasis and prognosis in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear-cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are genetically heterogeneous tumors presenting diverse clinical courses. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial process involved in initiation of metastatic cascade. The aim of our study was to identify an integrated miRNA/mRNA signature associated with metastasis and prognosis in ccRCC through targeted approach based on analysis of miRNAs/mRNAs associated with EMT. A cohort of 230 ccRCC was included in our study and further divided into discovery, training and validation cohorts. EMT markers were evaluated in ccRCC tumor samples, which were grouped accordingly to EMT status. By use of large-scale miRNA/mRNA expression profiling, we identified miRNA/mRNA with significantly different expression in EMT-positive tumors and selected 41 miRNAs/mRNAs for training phase of the study to evaluate their diagnostic and prognostic potential. Fifteen miRNAs/mRNAs were analyzed in the validation phase, where all evaluated miRNA/mRNA candidates were confirmed to be significantly deregulated in tumor tissue. Some of them significantly differed in metastatic tumors, correlated with clinical stage, with Fuhrman grade and with overall survival. Further, we established an EMT- based stage-independent prognostic scoring system enabling identification of ccRCC patients at high-risk of cancer-related death. Finally, we confirmed involvement of miR-429 in EMT regulation in RCC cells in vitro

Do stereotypes of mental and developmental disorders predict bystander intentions in cyberbullying? An application of the stereotype content model

It was investigated whether different types of mental or developmental disorders (MDD) would be rated differently in terms of stereotypic perceptions and behavioral tendencies and whether these effects of stereotypes on behaviors would be mediated via emotional responses in line with the Stereotype Content Model (SCM). Furthermore, an experimental investigation sought to ascertain whether predictions about behavioral intentions of bystanders in a cyberbullying scenario towards a victim with MDD could be derived from the general behavioral tendencies as predicted by the SCM. Two-hundred-forty-eight undergraduate students (62% female) aged 18–35 (M = 22.5) were randomly allocated to one of five conditions (anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, Asperger’s, or control). Stereotypes, emotional, and behavioral responses, as well as bystander intentions were assessed. Results largely confirmed the general application of the SCM to MDD; however, this was not the case for bystander intentions in cyberbullying. Implications for the application of the SCM and methodological considerations are discussed

The amplification of cyberhate victimization by discrimination and low life satisfaction: can supportive environments mitigate the risks?

There is some indication that discrimination as well as low levels of life satisfaction render young people at risk of cyberhate victimization. Adopting a socio-ecological perspective, this paper examines whether supportive family, peer and school environments may buffer against the effects of perceived discrimination and low life satisfaction on cyberhate victimization. Data from four countries (N=3,396) of the EU Kids Online IV survey on children aged 11-17 (51% girls) revealed a positive association between perceived discrimination and cyberhate victimization, but this impact was moderated by supportive family and peer environments. A negative association between life satisfaction and cyberhate victimization was mitigated by peer support. However, no associations with the school context were found. The current study provides new insights on how social support on different levels of the social environment may buffer against potential risk factors for cyberhate victimization and can inform decision-makers towards intervention and prevention strategies

The amplification of cyberhate victimisation by discrimination and low life satisfaction: can supportive environments mitigate the risks?

There is some indication that discrimination as well as low levels of life satisfaction render young people at risk of cyberhate victimization. Adopting a socio-ecological perspective, this paper examines whether supportive family, peer and school environments may buffer against the effects of perceived discrimination and low life satisfaction on cyberhate victimization. Data from four countries (N = 3,396) of the EU Kids Online IV survey on children aged 11-17 (51% girls) revealed a positive association between perceived discrimination and cyberhate victimization, but this impact was moderated by supportive family and peer environments. A negative association between life satisfaction and cyberhate victimization was mitigated by peer support. However, no associations with the school context were found. The current study provides new insights on how social support on different levels of the social environment may buffer against potential risk factors for cyberhate victimization and can inform decision-makers towards intervention and prevention strategies