Social-Psychological Profiles of Early Adolescents Involved in Bullying Activities

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine the differences existing between sub-groups of early adolescents involved in bullying activities at school. Specifically, the study aimed at comparing three identified groups (bullies, passive victims and aggressive victims or bully-victims) as well as uninvolved students in terms of a number of indicators of psycho-social adjustment; namely, empathy, impulsivity, hyperactivity, emotional and behavioral problems and pro-social skills. A representative sample of 454 Greek Cypriot students (mean age of 13.4) was selected from seven different public high schools. The participants completed a revised version of the Bullying and Victimization Questionnaire and based on their scores they were classified into one of four, mutually exclusive categories, those of bullies, victims, aggressive victims, and uninvolved. These groups were then compared regarding their mean scores on the Basic Empathy Scale, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Urgency Subscale. Multiple post-hoc comparisons revealed that the aggressive victims group had the most problematic psycho-social profile. Specifically, aggressive victims were significantly more impulsive, less affectively empathic, and had lower prosocial skills, more behavioural problems and more hyperactivity. The results of the present study show that children and adolescents diagnosed as aggressive victims are at higher risk in a number of psychopathological characteristics that endanger typical development

Parenting Practices and the Development of Internalizing/ Externalizing Problems in Adolescence

This chapter examines the existing relationship between different types of parental practices and the development of internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems in adolescence. Parental involvement and parenting styles are defined and analyzed as possible parameters of adolescent problems, including bullying and victimization. Special emphasis is given to the distinction between behavioral and psychological parental control. Furthermore, issues such as parent‐adolescent conflict, locus of control, and parental values are discussed as correlates of these problems, since prior research has identified them as either risk or protective factors for child and adolescent social and emotional adaptation

Perceived parental practices and internalized symptoms in children: the role of victimization and temperament of negative affectivity through mediation and moderated models

Η ανάπτυξη εσωτερικευμένων συμπτωμάτων στα παιδιά είναι μια σύνθετη διεργασία στην οποία εμπλέκονται διάφοροι παράγοντες. Ειδικότερα, σχετικές έρευνες συνδέουν άμεσα τις γονικές πρακτικές με την ανάπτυξη εσωτερικευμένων συμπτωμάτων στα παιδιά. Όμως από μόνος του αυτός ο παράγοντας δεν μπορεί να εξηγήσει πλήρως την ανάπτυξη εσωτερικευμένων συμπτωμάτων στα παιδιά, αφού φαίνεται ότι εμπλέκονται και άλλοι παράγοντες σε αυτή τη διεργασία. Σκοπός της παρούσας έρευνας ήταν  να εξετάσει τους παράγοντες αλλά και τους μηχανισμούς μέσω των οποίων τα παιδιά αναπτύσσουν εσωτερικευμένα συμπτώματα. Συγκεκριμένα, η έρευνα εξετάζει πώς η σχέση μεταξύ των γονικών πρακτικών και των εσωτερικευμένων συμπτωμάτων επηρεάζεται από διαμεσολαβητικούς και ρυθμιστικούς παράγοντες, όπως είναι η θυματοποίηση και η ιδιοσυγκρασία αρνητικού συναισθήματος. Στην έρευνα συμμετείχαν 374 παιδιά , ηλικίας 10 με 14 χρονών, και οι γονείς τους. Για τους σκοπούς της έρευνας τα παιδιά συμπλήρωσαν τα εξής εργαλεία: το Εργαλείο μέτρησης Γονικού Δεσμού, την Κλίμακα Θετικού και Αρνητικού Συναισθήματος για Παιδιά και το Αναθεωρημένο Ερωτηματολόγιο για τον Εκφοβισμό και τη Θυματοποίηση του Olweus. Οι γονείς συμπλήρωσαν την Κλίμακα Αξιολόγησης της Συμπεριφοράς των Παιδιών – Γονική Φόρμα (Σύστημα Achenbach για Εμπειρικά Βασισμένη Αξιολόγηση). Για τη στατιστική ανάλυση των δεδομένων χρησιμοποιήθηκε η μέθοδος process στο SPSS για να διαμορφωθούν μοντέλα διαμεσολάβησης και ρύθμισης που εξετάζουν τη σχέση των γονικών πρακτικών και εσωτερικευμένων συμπτωμάτων, με διαμεσολαβητικό παράγοντα τη θυματοποίηση και ρυθμιστικό παράγοντα την ιδιοσυγκρασία αρνητικού συναισθήματος. Τα αποτελέσματα της έρευνας ανέδειξαν ότι η σχέση μεταξύ των γονικών πρακτικών και εσωτερικευμένων συμπτωμάτων διαμεσολαβείται από τη θυματοποίηση, δείχνοντας  πως ένα σημαντικό μέρος της παραπάνω σχέσης οφείλεται στη διαμεσολάβηση της θυματοποίησης. Επίσης, η έρευνα έδειξε ότι η ιδιοσυγκρασία αρνητικού συναισθήματος ρυθμίζει τη σχέση μεταξύ των γονικών πρακτικών και εσωτερικευμένων συμπτωμάτων, δείχνοντας  ότι παιδιά με ιδιοσυγκρασία αρνητικού συναισθήματος αναπτύσσουν περισσότερα εσωτερικευμένα συμπτώματα όταν οι γονείς τους χρησιμοποιούν αρνητικές γονικές πρακτικές. Tα ευρήματα της έρευνας μπορούν να συμβάλλουν στην ψυχοκοινωνική και ψυχοσυναισθηματική ενδυνάμωση των παιδιών, μέσω του σχεδιασμού κατάλληλων προγραμμάτων πρόληψης και παρέμβασης.The development of internalized symptoms in children is a complex process involving various factors. In particular, research has linked parental practices to the development of internalized symptoms in children. However, this factor alone cannot fully explain the development of internalized symptoms in children, as other factors seem to influence this process. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors and mechanisms by which children develop internalized symptoms. In particular, the research examines how the relationship between parental practices and internalized symptoms is influenced by mediator and moderator factors, such as victimization and temperament. The research includes 374 children and their parents. The children attended the 5th and 6th grade of elementary school and the 1st and 2nd grade of high school and were between the ages of 10 and 14. The children completed the following tools: the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children and the Parental Bonding Instrument. The parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist – Parent Report, CBCL (Achenbach System for Empirically Based Assessment). For the statistical analysis of the data, the process method of the SPSS was used to construct mediation and moderated models that examine the relationship between parental practices and internalized symptoms, with victimization as mediator and temperament of negative affectivity as moderator factor. The results of the research highlighted that the relationship between parental practices and internalized symptoms is mediated by victimization, suggesting that a significant part of the above relationship is due to the mediation of victimization. The research also showed that negative affectivity temperament functions as a moderator factor in the relationship between parenting practices and internalized symptoms, suggesting that children with negative affectivity temperament develop more internalized symptoms when their parents use negative parenting practices. The research findings can contribute to the psychosocial and psycho-emotional empowerment of children, through the design of appropriate prevention and intervention programs

A True AR Authoring Tool for Interactive Virtual Museums

In this work, a new and innovative way of spatial computing that appeared recently in the bibliography called True Augmented Reality (AR), is employed in cultural heritage preservation. This innovation could be adapted by the Virtual Museums of the future to enhance the quality of experience. It emphasises, the fact that a visitor will not be able to tell, at a first glance, if the artefact that he/she is looking at is real or not and it is expected to draw the visitors' interest. True AR is not limited to artefacts but extends even to buildings or life-sized character simulations of statues. It provides the best visual quality possible so that the users will not be able to tell the real objects from the augmented ones. Such applications can be beneficial for future museums, as with True AR, 3D models of various exhibits, monuments, statues, characters and buildings can be reconstructed and presented to the visitors in a realistic and innovative way. We also propose our Virtual Reality Sample application, a True AR playground featuring basic components and tools for generating interactive Virtual Museum applications, alongside a 3D reconstructed character (the priest of Asinou church) facilitating the storyteller of the augmented experience.Comment: This is a preprint of a chapter for a planned book that was initiated by "Visual Computing in Cultural Heritage" and that is expected to be published by Springer. The final book chapter will differ from this preprin

Comparing short-term growth in traditional and cyber forms of bullying in early and mid-adolescent students

The present study sought to investigate the short-term growth in the levels of traditional and cyber forms of bullying and victimization and examine how growth in one form of bullying relates to that of others’, for students in late elementary and early high school grades (ages 10 to 15) and to examine how the educational level of the students affects this growth. In total 868 students participated in the study during four measurement waves with an approximate five-week time-lag between each wave. The Latent Growth Modelling technique was implemented in data analysis and results indicated considerable differences between traditional and cyber forms of bullying. For example, a steeper fluctuation was indicated for cyber forms of bullying and victimization, which was more precipitous for students who were already reporting high levels of such behaviours, contrary to what was found for traditional forms of bullying. Nonetheless, similarities between the two forms were also present. Implications for research and practice are discussed

Antimony doped Tin Oxide/Polyethylenimine Electron Selective Contact for reliable and light soaking-free high Performance Inverted Organic Solar Cells

We have demonstrated a high-performance low temperature solution processed electron selective contact consisting of 10 at% antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) and the neutral polymer polyethylenimine (PEI). Inverted organic photovoltaics (OPVs) utilizing ATO/PEI as electron selective contact exhibited high power conversion efficiencies for both the reference P3HT: PCBM and the non-fullerene based P3HT- IDTBR active layer OPV material systems. Importantly it is shown that the proposed ATO/PEI carrier selective contact provides light soaking-free inverted OPVs. Furthermore, by increasing the thickness of ATO layer from 40 to 120 nm the power conversion efficiency of the corresponding inverted OPVs remain unaffected a parameter which indicates the potential of the proposed ATO/PEI carrier selective contact for high performance light-soaking-free and reliable roll-to-roll printing solutions processed inverted OPVs.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, 2 table

Temporal organization of magnetospheric fluctuations unveiled by recurrence patterns in the Dst index

This work has been financially supported by the joint Greek-German project “Transdisciplinary assessment of dynamical complexity in magnetosphere and climate: A unified description of the nonlinear dynamics across extreme events” funded by IKY and DAAD. Individual financial support of the authors has been granted by the LINC (Learning about Interacting Networks in Climate) project (project no. 289447) funded by the Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) program (FP7-PEOPLE2011-ITN), the German Federal Ministry for Science and Education (BMBF) via the Young Investigator’s Group CoSy-CC2 (grant no. 01LN1306A) and the project GLUES, the Stordalen Foundation (Planetary Boundary Research Network PB.net), and the International Research Training Group IRTG 1740/TRP 2014/50151-0, jointly funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) and the S˜ao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, Funda¸c˜ao de Amparo `a Pesquisa do Estado de S˜ao Paulo). Numerical codes used for estimating RQA and RNA properties can be found in the software package pyunicorn70, which is available at https://github.com/pik-copan/pyunicorn. The Dst data have been obtained from the World Data Center for Geomagnetism, Kyoto (http://wdc.kugi.kyoto-u.ac.jp/index.html). We are grateful to three reviewers of an earlier version of this manuscript for their detailed comments.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The British Library Big Data Experiment: experimental interfaces, experimental teaching

The British Library Big Data Experiment is an ongoing collaboration between British Library Digital Research and UCL Department of Computer Science (UCLCS), facilitated by UCL Centre for Digital Humanities (UCLDH), engaging computer science students with humanities research and digital libraries as part of their core assessed work

The effect of parental style on bullying and cyber bullying behaviors and the mediating role of peer attachment relationships: A longitudinal study

The purpose of the present study was the examination of the longitudinal effect of parental style on short-term changes in conventional and cyber forms of bullying/victimization, and the investigation of the mediating role of peer attachment relationships on this effect. The participants were 861 children and adolescents (52% girls, M  = 11.72 years) attending Cyprus public institutions. Students provided information during three measurement points. There was a six and a 12 week interval among the three measurement points, respectively. The findings of the study indicated that parenting seems to be a significant predictor of all forms of bullying/victimization, conventional and cyber, in early adolescents, even when accounting for bullying/victimization levels eighteen weeks back. More importantly, results showed that the effect of parental style on bullying forms was mediated by peer attachment relationships. Results are discussed in the light of theoretical and practical implications. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2018 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the construction of E(s 2 )-optimal supersaturated designs

Optimal supersaturated designs, Screening experiments, Legendre sequences, Autocorrelation, Constructions, Primary: 62K15, 62K05, Secondary: 94C30,