The Role of Parents and Peers in Cyberbullying Perpetration: Comparison among Arab and Jewish and Youth in Israel

In recent years, several studies have examined the effect of parents and friends on cyberbullying victims. Less is known about their combined effect on cyber perpetrators, especially among Jewish and Arab teens in Israel. We collected data from a representative sample of 350 Jewish and Arab adolescents (aged 15-16) and their parents. We repeated the interviews twice within a year. The survey included measurements of three parental practices: support, monitoring, and protectiveness, as reported by parents at the first time of data collection. We measured the adolescents' engagement in sensation-seeking and cyberbullying as perpetrators and perceptions about peers' involvement in these behaviors. Path-analysis models revealed that the perception of peers' involvement in cyberbullying perpetration was positively linked with involvement in such behavior among Jewish and Arab teens. Contrary to our expectations, no parental practice had a direct effect on cyberbullying perpetration among teens in either ethnic group. The study presents important and unique findings. The results indicate that youngsters involved in cyberbullying are strongly influenced by their peers. The prevalence of this pattern in both the Jewish and the Arab populations indicates its universal nature. On a practical level, it may be suggested that bullying behaviors may be mitigated by taking measures in formal and informal education. Another aspect of the results is the decline in parental influence on adolescents' cyberbullying behaviors, especially among Arab teens. This may be an indicator of cultural changes taking place in the Arab population in Israel alongside widening of the generation gap.

Arab youth involvement in violence: A socio-ecological gendered perspective

BACKGROUND

Previous research has extensively used a socio-ecological perspective to find the correlates of youth involvement in violence. However, little is known about the extent to which ecological factors correlated with youth violence are affected by gender, especially in non-Western cultures.

OBJECTIVE

The role of gender in the association between individual, family, and contextual factors and Arab youth involvement in several types of violence (severe physical, moderate physical, and verbal and indirect violence) was explored using a socio-ecological perspective.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The study was based on a large random sample of 3,178 Arab students, aged 11-18, from Israel.

METHODS

Information was collected from the adolescents through a structured, anonymous self-report questionnaire which they completed in the classroom under the guidance of a research assistant. Confidentiality and anonymity were ensured for all participants.

RESULTS

Gender was found to moderate the association between impulsivity and parental support and all types of violence except verbal violence. No interaction effect was found in the association between affiliation with delinquent peers and exposure to community violence and Arab youth involvement in violence.

CONCLUSIONS

The results emphasize the importance of exploring gender differences with respect to risk and protective factors for violence. This knowledge is an important step in the design and implementation of gender-specific intervention strategies to deal with youth violence.

The Roles of Family and Teacher Support in Moderating and Mediating Externalized and Internalized Outcomes of Exposure to Community Violence Among Arab and Jewish Adolescents in Israel

The study examined family and teacher support as factors that can protect adolescents from internalized and externalized problems after exposure to community violence (ECV). Self-administered questionnaires were filled out by a sample of 1,832 Arab and Jewish Israeli high school students. The Arab adolescents reported significantly higher levels of community violence victimization, internalized problems, externalized problems, family support, and teacher support than the Jewish adolescents. The girls reported higher levels of internalized problems, and the boys reported higher levels of externalized problems. ECV predicted high levels of internalized and externalized problems, family support predicted low levels of internalized and externalized problems, and teacher support had no predictive role. Path analysis confirmed the significance of the relationships between ECV effects, support variables, and gender. The limitations of the study and implications of the findings for future research and for the development of family care and family intervention programs are discussed.