Cyberbullying among Youth with and without Disabilities

Experimental investigations of social exclusion among adolescents with psychiatric disorders: a systematic review

Social exclusion is a form of bullying that can lead to various negative consequences, and even extreme forms of violence. Certain groups, such as people with poor mental health and adolescents, are particularly vulnerable. This paper features a systematic review of experiments that investigated the impact of social exclusion on adolescents with psychiatric disorders. Experiments were searched via: PubMed, Web of Science, PsycInfo, ERIC, Cochrane, and a manual search. The search yielded 174 experiments, and 12 remained after screening. These met the inclusion criteria, which included: having an empirical design, participants aged 10-19, and a clinical sample with at least one psychiatric disorder. Among the clinical samples, the most common disorder was depression, featured in seven experiments. The most common paradigm was Cyberball. Results showed that social exclusion impacts adolescents with psychiatric disorders differently than inclusion (e.g., leading to a more negative mood). However, the difference in the impact of social exclusion on adolescents with vs. without psychiatric disorders was only conclusive via fMRI measurements. Compared to healthy controls, adolescents with psychiatric disorders seem to display altered neural reactivity during social exclusion. Based on identified research gaps, future studies are needed to explore the impact of social exclusion on adolescents with a wider range of psychiatric disorders. Other recommendations are included, such as a brain region checklist for future experiments using fMRI.

Young People's Intentional and Unintentional Encounters with Internet Pornography in Australia

Amidst the increased online engagement of adolescents, a growing global body of literature has examined adolescents' encounters with internet pornography (IP). Though prevalence rates vary across studies, collectively the literature suggests that most adolescents have encountered IP. However, there is a lack of recent Australian research regarding adolescents' encounters with IP, in particular research that distinguishes between intentional and unintentional encounters. The present study provides updated evidence on the prevalence of intentional and unintentional encounters with IP among Australian adolescents (n = 1004, 16-18 years) and examines sociodemographic characteristics associated with encounters. Approximately 75% of adolescents reported having ever encountered IP, with 40% of adolescents first encountering it under the age of 13 and accidentally. Most adolescents (63%) indicated that they encountered IP monthly or more often. Older adolescents, boys, sexually diverse adolescents, and disabled young people, were more likely to have ever encountered IP. Sexually diverse adolescents, young people with disability, and those who spoke a language other than English at home were also significantly more likely to first encounter IP at a younger age. Girls were more likely than boys to report first encountering IP unintentionally and were also more likely to report subsequent accidental encounters with IP. Conversely, boys were more likely to report encountering IP intentionally and recurrently. Finally, participants who reported being under 13 years of age when they first encountered IP were more likely to report recurrent and intentional encounters with IP. Our findings indicate that IP is highly visible in the online lives of Australian adolescents, with many encounters likely occurring unintentionally. Evidently, more stringent measures are needed on online platforms to prevent adolescents from unintentionally encountering IP.

Cyberbullying and Online Aggression

With the rapid progress of technology and the Internet, the popularity of social media among youth as a preferred form of communication has grown exponentially. In addition to many of the challenges youth face in real life, much of their identity and development now occurs in online spaces as well. Traditional bullying has evolved into cyberbullying, which has been labeled a public health issue. Though both forms of bullying share similar characteristics, risk factors, and potential consequences, research on cyberbullying has revealed the need for new and novel interventions aimed at mitigating its negative impact on youth mental health.

Unmasking the Pandemic's Hidden Challenge

In the COVID-19 pandemic, a new challenge emerges in the digital realm – a surge in cyberbullying fuelled by social isolation. This chapter explores the intricate connection between isolation measures and the alarming rise in online harassment. Lockdowns and distancing have turned the online space into both a refuge and a battlefield, revealing unique consequences of isolation. The pandemic has reshaped cyberbullying, with increased screen time, online education, and heightened social media engagement playing complex roles. As social isolation heightens vulnerability, the line between physical and digital blurs, exposing individuals to online harassers. The chapter acknowledges the profound impact of social isolation on mental health, with pandemic stressors and online anonymity fostering anxiety among cyberbullying victims. Educational settings, grappling with remote learning challenges, also experience the ripple effects of cyberbullying. Despite these challenges, coping strategies and support mechanisms emerge, aiding individuals in navigating the digital landscape safely.

Secondary analysis of one State's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) data by Individualized Education Program (IEP) status

BACKGROUND

Children with disabilities may be at increased risk for engaging in health risk behaviors compared to their peers without disabilities.

OBJECTIVE

This secondary analysis aims to assess if Individualized Education Program (IEP) status, a proxy for having a disability, is a risk factor for youth to engage in health risk behaviors such as alcohol use, marijuana use, other substance use, bullying or cyberbullying victimization, and sexual activity.

METHODS

Data from Connecticut Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 were combined for a representative sample of 9243 students, 850 reporting having an IEP. Having a disability was measured by an item that asked if participants received special education services as part of an IEP. Logistic regression that accounted for the YRBSS sample design was used to assess main effects.

RESULTS

Having an IEP significantly predicted the likelihood of being bullied (OR = 1.81), cyberbullied (OR = 1.49), and other drug use (OR = 1.65), but did not predict engaging in sexual activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Students with disabilities in CT, as defined by the receipt of special education services as specified on an IEP, are at increased risk to engage in health risk behaviors than are students without disabilities during their high school years. Further analyses and comparisons across sites, years, and type of disability are limited as there is no current item on the national YRBSS questionnaire that measures a participant's special education status or disability status.

Assessing Cyberbullying in Adolescence: New Evidence for the Spanish Version of the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (ECIP-Q)

The prevention of cyberbullying at school requires assessing its prevalence by means of brief measurement instruments with adequate psychometric properties. The present study aims to study the psychometric properties of the European Cyberbullying Intervention Project Questionnaire (ECIP-Q) in a sample of 1777 Spanish adolescents (54.1% women, M = 15.71 years; SD = 1.26), selected by stratified random cluster sampling. The two-factor model (victimization and aggression) displayed appropriate goodness of-fit indices. Configural measurement invariance model across gender was found. The omega reliability coefficient for the victimization subscale was 0.82, and for the aggression subscale was 0.68. The ECIP-Q scores were negatively associated with self-esteem and prosocial behavior, and positively associated with depression symptoms and emotional and behavioral difficulties. Significant differences were found between victim and non-victim groups, and between aggressor and non-aggressor groups on the same variables. Victims and aggressors scored lower on self-esteem, and higher on depression symptoms and emotional and behavioral difficulties than those not involved in cyberbullying situations. These findings contribute to demonstrate the satisfactory psychometric quality of the ECIP-Q scores as an assessment tool for cyberbullying in Spanish adolescents.

Cyberbullying and empathy among elementary school students: Do special educational needs make a difference?

The present study investigates involvement in cyberbullying and empathy skills, as well as the relationship between the two among general education sixth grade elementary school students with and without special educational needs (SEN). Specifically, 120 students with SEN (Autistic Spectrum Disorder-ASD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-ADHD, learning disabilities) and 120 students without SEN from 29 randomly selected schools of the second biggest city in Greece completed a self-report questionnaire, which included a short version of the "Cyberbullying Questionnaire" (Smith et al., An investigation into cyber bullying, its forms, awareness and impact, and the relationship between age and gender in cyber bullying. A report to the Anti-Bullying Alliance. Unit for School and Family Studies, 2006) and the "Basic Empathy Scale"-BES (Jolliffe & Farrington, 2006, J Adolesc, 29:589, 2006). The results showed that, regardless of gender, involvement in cyberbullying (as victims/bullies) concerned primarily students with SEN, mainly those with ASD and ADHD. Accordingly, students with SEN and mostly those with ASD expressed lower affective and cognitive empathy compared to the rest of the students. Finally, for all the participating students both affective and cognitive empathy negatively predicted engagement in cyberbullying (as victims/bullies). Implications for preventive actions in elementary education, and especially for children with SEN, are discussed in detail.

Exposure to Multiple Forms of Bias Victimization on Youth and Young Adults: Relationships with Trauma Symptomatology and Social Support

Research has documented that a significant portion of youth are exposed to bias victimization. However, less is known about whether experiencing certain types of bias victimization (e.g., sexual orientation bias) is more or less likely to be related to a more extensive bias victimization history (i.e., experiencing multiple types of bias victimization) and whether exposure to multiple types of bias victimization explains any relationships between specific types of bias victimization and negative outcomes. To address these gaps, the current study explores relationships between exposure to multiple types of bias-motivated victimization, trauma symptomatology and perceived social support. Participants were 854 youth and young adults (60.9% female) from three higher risk communities who completed a survey on personal experiences with bias-related victimization. The average age of participants was 16.6 years; 28.5% of the sample described themselves as Black or African American; 13.4% as Hispanic or Latino (any race); 45.3% as White, and 12.8% as another race. Sixty-nine percent of the sample described their sexual orientation as heterosexual; 8.9% as gay, lesbian, or homosexual; 12.5% as bisexual; and 9.5% as another sexual orientation. Sixty-three percent of participants reported at least one type of bias victimization in their lifetime, and more than one in three youth (38.7%) experienced two or more types of bias victimization in their lifetimes (18.1% two types, 12.1% three types, and 8.5% four or more types). Experiencing multiple types of bias victimization was related to higher trauma symptomatology and less perceived social support. Experiencing multiple types of bias victimization attenuated or eliminated the association between individual types of bias victimization and well-being. The findings contribute to a growing body of research demonstrating the damaging mental health effects of occupying multiple marginalized statuses, and points to the cumulation of bias victimization experiences as an important factor contributing to significant differences in well-being and support among youth and young adults.

Cyberbullying Experiences Among Marginalized Youth: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go Next?

Cyberbullying experiences are a social and health concern that many children and adolescents are facing in their day-to-day lives. One limitation of cyberbullying research is that studies have predominately focused on the experiences of youth from majority groups (i.e., European-American youth living in the U.S.). This limitation is addressed by focusing on cyberbullying involvement, both as victims and perpetrators, among marginalized groups. Specifically, studies examining cyberbullying among youth with disabilities and from ethnic, cultural and sexual minority backgrounds are presented. Furthermore, suggestions for future research on cyberbullying experiences among youth are outlined, namely taking into consideration the intersectionality of various identities and the identification of factors that may protect vulnerable children and adolescents from the pain of being victimized online.