Studies about bullying have identified it as a public health problem, with serious academic and
psychosocial consequences. The extant literature defines bullying as an intentional phenomenon,
repeated over time, which is sustained by the relational dominion-submission model established
between victims and aggressors, and that is generallymaintained by a lack of bystander intervention
and indifferent bystander attitudes. This behavior pattern of aggressive interaction has been further
broadened and diversified through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT)
that has given rise to what is commonly known as cyberbullying

Ortega-Ruiz, Rosario

Romera, Eva M.

Skrzypiec, Grace

Žukauskienė, Rita

Frontiers in Psychology

English

Mykolas Romeris University Institutional Repository

EDITORIALpublished: 19 November 2019doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02602Frontiers in Psychology | www.frontiersin.org 1 November 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 2602Edited and reviewed by:Douglas F. Kauffman,Medical University of the Americas –Nevis, United States*Correspondence:Eva M. Romeraeva.romera@uco.esSpecialty section:This article was submitted toEducational Psychology,a section of the journalFrontiers in PsychologyReceived: 03 October 2019Accepted: 04 November 2019Published: 19 November 2019Citation:Romera EM, Ortega-Ruiz R,Skrzypiec G and Zukauskiene R (2019)Editorial: Analysing Psychosocial andContextual Factors UnderpinningBullying and Cyberbullying.Front. Psychol. 10:2602.doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02602Editorial: Analysing Psychosocial andContextual Factors UnderpinningBullying and CyberbullyingEva M. Romera 1*, Rosario Ortega-Ruiz 1, Grace Skrzypiec 2 and Rita Zukauskiene 31Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain, 2 Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 3Mykolas Romeris University,Vilnius, LithuaniaKeywords: bullying, cyberbullying, risk and protective factors, psychosocial, context variablesEditorial on the Research TopicAnalysing Psychosocial and Contextual Factors Underpinning Bullying and CyberbullyingStudies about bullying have identified it as a public health problem, with serious academic andpsychosocial consequences. The extant literature defines bullying as an intentional phenomenon,repeated over time, which is sustained by the relational dominion-submission model establishedbetween victims and aggressors, and that is generallymaintained by a lack of bystander interventionand indifferent bystander attitudes. This behavior pattern of aggressive interaction has been furtherbroadened and diversified through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT)that has given rise to what is commonly known as cyberbullying.Although the multicausal nature and negative effects on the well-being of those involved inbullying and cyberbullying have been clearly identified, high levels of involvement in such negativebehavior remain. In the study of bullying and cyberbullying, the implication to cognitive, social,andmoral competencies, which young people display in interpersonal situations, and which denoteaspects of their social personality, have also been examined. Moreover, contextual dimensions,such as social status, group norms, and school climate have been identified as elements associatedwith the risk of school children becoming victims or aggressors and with the possibility of suchbehavior reoccurring.INDIVIDUAL RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORSAlthough bullying and cyberbullying have been widely studied throughout the past decades, thereare still many gaps in our knowledge regarding individual and contextual factors that couldpotentially be the cause or consequence of this aggressive behavior (Zych et al., 2018). The objectiveof this Research Topic is to advance many of the research areas that still need to be addressed.More than half the studies published in this Research Topic have paid attention to individualcharacteristics as explanations for involvement in bullying and cyberbullying. Predominantlymoral beliefs and values have been underscored as important. Four studies have highlighted themoral domain as a relevant variable in understanding involvement in peer violence. In a 1-yearlongitudinal study with 1,250 Swedish children from fourth to fifth grade, Thornberg et al. havecontributed to this Research Topic using multilevel analyses that have shown that children withlittle individual moral disengagement, as well as strong defender self-efficacy, are less inclined to beinvolved in bullying perpetration. A comparable analysis of 2,000 adolescents from Italy and Greeceby Lazuras et al. found that engagement in cyberbullying was associated with moral disengagement,while hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed cross-national differences in the mediatingvariables of this relationship. Examining data from 1912 Spanish students aged 14 to 18 years, theRomera et al. Factors in Bullying and Cyberbullyingrole of moral disengagement was shown by Cuadrado-Gordilloand Fernández-Antelo, to mediate the perception ofcyberbullying and involvement in cybervictimization. Finally,Romera et al. used stick-figure cartoons representing bullyingwith 1,150 schoolchildren between the ages of 6 and 11 years andshowed that school children interpret and evaluate aggressivebullying behavior as a moral transgression associated withemotions such as guilt, shame, and indifference. This studymade it clear that moral attributions of the phenomenon dependon one’s perspective, especially when children have had anexperience of being involved as victim or aggressor.Social motivation has also been recognized as a significantfactor associated with bullying and cyberbullying. Cognitiverepresentations about the desired outcome in social interactionshelp us to understand why some children and adolescents areinvolved in risky behavior (Romera et al., 2017). In this researchdomain, Graf et al. used structural equation modeling with datacollected from Austrian students to show that sensation seekingis an important element for explaining cyberbullying.Along with other variables, Internet use was identifiedas a risk factor for bullying, cyberbullying and cyberhateby Blaya and Audrin who studied 1,889 young Frenchindividuals aged 12–20 years. Structural Equation models intheir study showed that cyberhate perpetration was relatedto time spent online, victimization, belonging to a deviantyouth group, as well as having positive attitudes towardviolence and racism. A multiple mediation analysis furthersuggested that trust in institutions diminished the tendencyto perpetrate hateful aggression. Meanwhile, Felipe-Castañoet al. analyzed data from 1,108 university students and showedthat Internet use and the presence of psychopathologicalsymptomatology varied according to the intensity of thecyberbullying and cyberaggression.Furthermore, gratitude and physical activity were identified asprotective factors by Rey et al.. With data from a total of 1,617Spanish adolescents, Rey et al. showed that gratitude moderatedthe relationship between bullying victimization and suicide risk,particularly in girls. Additionally, among 1,248 adolescents aged11 to 18 years, Méndez et al. showed that the practice of non-competitive physical activity is related to low involvement inaggression and deviant behavior.CONTEXTUAL RISK AND PROTECTIVEFACTORSOn another level, contextual factors have been shown to beessential in the prevention of aggression and victimization,as research has confirmed the influence of the peer groupon the perceptions, attitudes and behavior of children andadolescents (Salmivalli, 2010). The social and developmentalmechanisms associated with peer influence are paramountfor understanding bullying for two main reasons. Firstly, theinfluence is social because bullying is identified as a groupphenomenon in which a large number of people are directlyand indirectly involved. Secondly, the influence is developmentalbecause the peer group exists for children and adolescentsin one of the most influential contexts of their developmentand learning.In this Research Topic different studies have explored the roleof the peer group. Garandeau et al. used multilevel regressionanalysis with data from ∼3,000 students from Netherlands andAustria to show that classroom size was negatively related tobullying. The association was mainly due to differences in thelevel of popularity of victims and aggressors in large and smallclasses. Likewise, the socio-ecological aspects of children’s liveswere examined by Foody et al.. With data from 2,400 Irish 12 to15 year old students, and using regression models, they showedthat friendship quality within the context of cyberbullying mightbe highly influential in determining psychological well-being.Meanwhile examining data from 3,407 primary school students,Moyano et al. showed that low negative relationships and thesense of social integration mediated the relationship between thetype of school and involvement in different forms of bullying—particularly relational bullying.Scientific advances have also explored the influential role ofadults, parents and teachers, in children’s social development. Forexample, parenting styles have been widely studied in associationwith involvement in bullying (Gómez-Ortiz et al., 2015), andcyberbullying (Gómez-Ortiz et al., 2018). The studies presentedin this Research Topic advance the research field concerningthe role of parents and teachers. Brighi et al. using structuralequation modeling with data obtained from 3,602 students fromItalian Secondary Schools found that low levels of parentalmonitoring and negative emotional symptoms were risk factorsfor cyberbullying perpetration and problematic internet use.Cybervictimization was also examined by Álvarez-García et al..Using path analysis with a sample of 3,360 Spanish adolescentsaged 11 to 18 they found that parental control had an indirectprotective effect on being involved in cyber-victimization, andthis was mediated by impulsivity and high-risk internet behavior.Path analysis was also used by De Luca et al. who studied 120teachers and 1,056 students of secondary school. They showedthat teachers who perceived themselves as more competent andwho were satisfied with their job, were more prone to intervenein cases of bullying and victimization.CROSS-CULTURAL COMPARISONSCross-cultural comparisons in the level of bullying andassociated variables were undertaken by Rodríguez-Hidalgoet al. and by Samara et al. with large samples of adolescentsin two separate studies. Using multiple linear regressionanalysis, Rodríguez-Hidalgo et al.. highlighted that ethnic-cultural victimization and aggression were associated withbullying aggression and victimization.In their study, Samara et al. examined data from a totalof 3,186 school children aged 12–15 years from four countries(Israel, Palestine, Germany, and Greece) and five different ethnicgroups. This large cross-ethnic and cross-country study showedthat bullying and victimization rates can only be compared ifstructural equivalence and structural isomorphism are validated.Results of this research evidenced that students may perceive theFrontiers in Psychology | www.frontiersin.org 2 November 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 2602Romera et al. Factors in Bullying and Cyberbullyingmeaning of bullying in a different way, so comparisons betweenrates are not valid.The meaning of bullying, the way it is measured and theway that children and adolescents understand it has beendebated and analyzed in previous studies with quantitative data(e.g., Skrzypiec et al., 2018). In this Research Topic, O’Brienreviewed qualitative studies and showed that young people havedifferent perceptions of bullying, both in the understanding of thebehavior as well as the impact it has on individuals. Furthermore,this study alluded to the complexity and interexchange of rolesthat may occur within bullying.IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSStudies in this Research Topic advance our knowledge of theinteractive dynamics of psychological and contextual factors andtheir relationship to bullying and cyberbullying. The focus hasincluded individual and contextual characteristics, particularlyhow these are understood either as risk factors or as consequencesof student involvement in bullying and cyberbullying. Throughdiverse methodological designs, studies in this Research Topichave presented evidence that psychosocial, moral, motivationaland emotional elements, and the peer and adult contextsare important for understanding this complex behavior. Thestudies highlight that understanding bullying and cyberbullyingrequires that we globally address the different factors of influenceidentified by the scientific literature. Themanuscripts included inthis Research Topic update the body of knowledge that providesrelevant information for identifying conditions associated withbullying and cyberbullying and that interfere with the safety ofchildren at school.The results provided through the studies in this ResearchTopic are useful for designing educational cross-culturalprograms aimed at preventing bullying and cyberbullying.Strengthening the social structure of the peer group wouldallow teachers, practitioners, and policymakers to improve socialrelationships among their students and in doing so prevent suchdamaging phenomena.AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONSAll authors listed have made a substantial, direct andintellectual contribution to the work, and approved itfor publication.ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe acknowledge all the authors who have participated in thisResearch Topic and children, teachers and families who haveparticipated in the different studies.REFERENCESGómez-Ortiz, O., Del Rey, R., Romera, E. M., and Ortega-Ruiz, R. (2015). Losestilos educativos paternos y maternos en la adolescencia y su relación conla resiliencia, el apego y su implicación en violencia escolar. Anal. Psicol. 31,979–989. doi: 10.6018/analesps.31.3.180791Gómez-Ortiz, O., Romera, E., Ortega-Ruiz, R., and Del Rey, R. (2018).Parenting practices as risk or preventive factors for adolescentinvolvement in cyberbullying: contribution of children and parentgender. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 15:2664. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15122664Romera, E. M., Herrera-López, M., Casas, J. A., Ortega-Ruiz, R., andGómez-Ortiz, O. (2017). Multidimensional social competence, motivation,and cyberbullying: a cultural approach with Colombian and SpanishAdolescents. J. Cross Cult. Psychol. 48, 1183–1197. doi: 10.1177/0022022116687854Salmivalli, C. (2010). Bullying and the peer group: a review. Aggress. Violent Behav.15, 112–120. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2009.08.007Skrzypiec, G., Alinsug, E., Nasiruddin, U. A., Andreou, E., Brighi, A., Didaskalou,E., et al. (2018). Self-reported harm of adolescent peer aggression in three worldregions. Child Abuse Neglect 85, 101–117. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.07.030Zych, I., Farrington, D. P., and Ttofi, M. M. (2018). Protective factors againstbullying and cyberbullying: a systematic review of meta-analyses. Aggress.Violent Behav. 45, 4–19. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2018.06.008Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in theabsence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as apotential conflict of interest.Copyright © 2019 Romera, Ortega-Ruiz, Skrzypiec and Zukauskiene. This is anopen-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionLicense (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted,provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that theoriginal publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academicpractice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not complywith these terms.Frontiers in Psychology | www.frontiersin.org 3 November 2019 | Volume 10 | Article 2602

Editorial: Analysing Psychosocial and Contextual Factors Underpinning Bullying and Cyberbullying

https://repository.mruni.eu/bitstream/handle/007/16017/fpsyg-10-02602.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Editorial: Analysing Psychosocial and Contextual Factors Underpinning Bullying and Cyberbullying

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Mykolas Romeris University Institutional Repository