Temperament, Bullying, and Dating Aggression: Longitudinal Associations for Adolescents in a Romantic Relationship

Mediating Effects of Academic Self-Efficacy and Depressive Symptoms on Prosocial/Antisocial Behavior Among Youths

Adolescence is a critical period during which youth develop and shape their behaviors. Because differences between youths are strongly connected to environmental factors, we aimed to elucidate possible pathways from home-school regulation and atmosphere to youths' prosocial and antisocial behaviors. Data were derived from the China Education Panel Survey. This study involved a total of 9291 students aged 14-15 years (4834 boys, 4457 girls). We used structural equation modeling (SEM) with LISREL 8.80 and Monte Carlo resampling with R to conduct the analysis strategy. In the home-school regulation, parental supervision on the one hand and teacher criticism on the other hand have direct positive and negative predictive effects on youths' prosocial behaviors, respectively, while their direct effects on antisocial behavior are the opposite; teachers praise does not directly affect adolescents' prosocial and antisocial behaviors. In the home-school atmosphere, family interaction and perceived good class climate directly positively affect youths' prosocial behaviors, while the direct effects of both on antisocial behavior are not significant. The SEM results reveal that academic self-efficacy and depressive symptoms may be underlying mediating mechanisms through which home-school regulation and atmosphere during adolescence affect students' prosocial and antisocial behaviors. Intervention programs targeting home-school supportive environments and prevention programs targeting positive emotion and self-awareness may yield benefits for proper social behavior in adolescents. For example, by enhancing the way and frequency of parent-child interaction, teachers and students jointly create a good class climate of care and friendship to strengthen a home-school supportive environment. Improve adolescents' positive emotions such as contentment, optimism, and hope to reduce the possibility of depression.

Benefits of Bullying? A Test of the Evolutionary Hypothesis in Three Cohorts

Recent work on bullying perpetration includes the hypothesis that bullying carries an evolutionary advantage for perpetrators in terms of health and reproductive success. We tested this hypothesis in the National Child Development Study (n = 4998 male, n = 4831 female), British Cohort Study 1970 (n = 4261 male, n = 4432 female), and TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (n = 486 male, n = 521 female), where bullying was assessed in adolescence (NCDS, BCS70: age 16, TRAILS: age 14) and outcomes in adulthood. Partial support for the evolutionary hypothesis was found as bullies had more children in NCDS and engaged in sexual intercourse earlier in TRAILS. In contrast, bullies reported worse health in NCDS and BCS70.

The Impact of Childhood Bullying Trajectories on Young Adulthood Antisocial Trajectories

Long-term outcomes of childhood bullying perpetration have been explored, but heterogeneity in outcomes reflecting nonclinical antisocial tendencies including indirect aggression, psychopathic personality, and interpersonal relations have not been examined from a person-centered approach. Accordingly, latent class growth analyses were used to examine trajectory groups of childhood bullying perpetration across ages 10 to 18 and multi-trajectory groups of young adulthood outcomes across ages 19 to 23 (indirect aggression, psychopathic personality, interpersonal relations). In a sample of 701 participants (52.9% girls/women) followed annually, the majority of individuals reflected a low stable trajectory of bullying (81.2%) and fewer reflected moderate increasing bullying (18.8%). In young adulthood, the majority of participants reflected a prosocial multi-trajectory profile (61.6%; below average decreasing indirect aggression, below average decreasing psychopathy, above average stable interpersonal relations). Fewer participants reflected a below average antisocial profile (21.6%; below average decreasing indirect aggression, below average stable psychopathy, below average stable interpersonal relations) or an above average antisocial profile (16.8%; above average decreasing indirect aggression, above average decreasing psychopathy, below average stable interpersonal relations). Individuals following the moderate bullying trajectory in childhood had a significantly higher odds of following the above average antisocial profile but not the prosocial profile in young adulthood, when contrasted against the below average antisocial profile. These findings indicate that the prevention of childhood bullying can help prevent the continuity of an antisocial profile in young adulthood that is characterized by continued aggressive behavior, higher psychopathy, and poorer quality relationships.

The Risk of Bullying and Probability of Help-Seeking Behaviors in School Children: A Bayesian Network Analysis

An increase in aggressive behaviors in adolescents has been observed for a few years. The participation in bullying is associated with many psychosocial difficulties in adolescent development. On the other hand, the help-seeking behavior can be one of the most important protective factors that reduce the risk for this type of violence. The study was aimed at estimating the risk factors, as well as the protective factors of school bullying, by using the Bayesian networks to build a model allowing to estimate the probability of occurrence of the aggressive and help-seeking behaviors among school children. The focus was on individual risk/protective factors related to EAS temperament (emotionality, activity, and sociability) and variables related to the family context (level of cohesion, flexibility, family communication, and family life satisfaction). Bayesian methods have not been particularly mainstream in the social and medical sciences. The sample comprised 75 students (32 boys and 43 girls), aged 13-15 (M = 13.82; SD = 0.47). Assessment comprised The EAS Temperament Questionnaire, Family Adaptability & Cohesion Evaluation Scales FACES IV-SOR (Family Rating Scale), and Survey questionnaire. The Bayesian networks were applied. Depending on the values of the identified variables, very high a posteriori probability of bullying and help-seeking behaviors can be predicted. Four EAS subscales (Distress, Fear, Activity, Sociability) and two SOR subscales (Balanced Flexibility and Balanced Cohesion) were identified as predictors of bullying. Moreover, two SOR subscales (Family Communication and Life Family Satisfaction) and one EAS subscale (Sociability) were identified as predictors of help-seeking behaviors. The constructed network made it possible to show the influence of variables related to temperament and variables related to the family environment on the probability of bullying or the probability of seeking help and support. The Bayesian network model used in this study may be used in clinical practice.

Bullying and childhood trauma events as predictive factors of suicidal behavior in borderline personality disorder: Preliminary findings

Traumas in childhood could present a significant association with suicidal behavior in BPD. The aim of the report is to study the link between a traumatic childhood involving school bullying and the different forms and degrees of suicidal behavior in BPD. A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 109 BPD patients. It is divided into two groups whether or not there is a history of suicidal behavior. The clinical variables are compared with Chi square and Student's T tests. Traumatic childhood history and bullying, in particular, showed a statistically significant association with the incidence of suicidal behaviors.