ng Hui Chiu

Relationships Among Cyberbullying, School Bullying, and Mental Health in Taiwanese Adolescents

BACKGROUND This study examined the relationships among cyberbullying, school bullying, and mental health in adolescents. METHODS In 2010, a total of 2992 10th grade students recruited from 26 high schools in Taipei, Taiwan completed questionnaires. RESULTS More than one third of students had either engaged in cyberbullying or had been the target (cybervictim) of it in the last year. About 18.4% had been cyberbullied (cybervictim); 5.8% had cyberbullied others (cyberbully); 11.2% had both cyberbullied others and been cyberbullied (cyberbully-victim). About 8.2% had been bullied in school (victim); 10.6% had bullied others (bully); and, 5.1% had both bullied others and had been bullied in school (bully-victim). Students with Internet risk behaviors were more likely to be involved in cyberbullying and/or cybervictimization; students who had cyberbullying or victimization experiences also tended to be involved in school bullying/victimization. After controlling for sex, academic performance, and household poverty, cyber/school victims and bully-victims were more likely to have lower self-esteem, and cyber/school victims, bullies and bully-victims were at a greater risk for serious depression. CONCLUSIONS Both cyberbullying and school bullying and/or victimization experiences were independently associated with increased depression.

Group differences in computer supported collaborative learning: Evidence from patterns of Taiwanese students' online communication

This study explored the differences among online elementary school student groups based on their communication features. Two hundred and ninety-one Taiwanese students, ranging in age from 11 to 12years old, participated in this study. The students were randomly arranged within-class into three-member groups. Each group was asked to use a collaborative learning system to accomplish a group task generating a shared concept map. The textual discussions in each group during collaboration were collected, coded, categorized, and quantified to profile their communication characteristics. Cluster analysis on the resulting communication characteristics resulted in four types of small student groups, including passive or reticent, frequently off-task, actively participating, and knowledge emphasizing. Most student groups (56%) were found to be relatively passive or reticent. Frequently off-task student groups made a protrusive amount of messages for off-task social purposes. The actively participating student groups were characterized by abundant discussion, particularly for continuing task, managing procedure and coordinating efforts. The distinctive feature of knowledge emphasizing student groups was that they devoted particular attention to task related knowledge. In addition, they performed better in task accomplishment.

The relationship between parental mediation and Internet addiction among adolescents, and the association with cyberbullying and depression.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the relationships between parental mediation and Internet addiction, and the connections to cyberbullying, substance use, and depression among adolescents. METHOD The study involved 1808 junior high school students who completed a questionnaire in Taiwan in 2013. RESULTS Multiple logistic regression analysis results showed that adolescents who perceived lower levels of parental attachment were more likely to experience Internet addiction, cyberbullying, smoking, and depression, while adolescents who reported higher levels of parental restrictive mediation were less likely to experience Internet addiction or to engage in cyberbullying. Adolescent Internet addiction was associated with cyberbullying victimization/perpetration, smoking, consumption of alcohol, and depression. CONCLUSION Internet addiction by adolescents was associated with cyberbullying, substance use and depression, while parental restrictive mediation was associated with reductions in adolescent Internet addiction and cyberbullying.

Predictors of the initiation and persistence of Internet addiction among adolescents in Taiwan

PURPOSE The present study examined the psychosocial factors associated with the initiation and persistence of Internet addiction among adolescents in Taiwan. METHODS A total of 2315 students from 26 high schools were assessed in the 10th grade, with follow-up performed in the 11th grade, in Taipei, Taiwan. Self-administered questionnaires were collected in each year to assess the pattern of changes in Internet addiction and psychosocial factors. RESULTS Of the 1602 students without an Internet addiction in the 10th grade, 253 (15.8%) had initiated Internet addiction by grade 11. Multivariate analysis results indicated that greater engagement in online activities (i.e., social network website use, online gaming), depression, and lower school bonding in grade 10 coupled with an increase in online activities, depression, and smoking from grades 10 to 11 predicted the initiation of Internet addiction. Of the 605 students with Internet addiction in the 10th grade, the addiction had persisted for 383 students (63.3%) in grade 11. An increase in the existence of depression and alcohol use from grades 10 to 11 predicted the persistence of Internet addiction. CONCLUSIONS Online activities, depression, and substance use were important predictors of youth initiation and of the persistence of Internet addiction.

Evaluating system-based strategies for managing conflict in collaborative concept mapping

This study examined the influence of various conflict management mechanisms embedded into computer-supported collaborative concept mapping systems on the behaviour and learning of elementary students. Four conflict management mechanisms were compared: an assign design, in which the mapping control was designated to a particular group member; a rotate design, in which the mapping control was rotated among the group members; a give design, in which the child with mapping control could relinquish control to another group member; and an open design, in which every group member simultaneously had mapping control. Ninety-six fifth and sixth grade Taiwanese students participated in this study. They were arranged into assign, rotate, give, or open three-member groups to generate collaboratively shared concept maps. Student interactions, attitudes, and achievement were analysed. The results suggest that each conflict management mechanism has a different effect on the elementary students.

Association of thin-ideal media exposure, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors among adolescents in Taiwan

OBJECTIVE The present study examined the relationships between thin-ideal media exposure, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviors among adolescents in Taiwan. METHOD A total of 2992 students in the 10th grade were recruited from 26 high schools in Taipei, Taiwan to complete a questionnaire in 2010. RESULTS The results showed that the adolescents were exposed to thin-ideal messages a few times a week. Females had higher levels of thin-ideal media exposure, media pressure to be thin, thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviors than males. Multivariate logistic regression results indicated that media pressure and thin-deal internalization significantly increased the likelihood of body dissatisfaction, while media pressure and body dissatisfaction contributed to both restrained eating and unhealthy weight control behaviors, when all other variables were controlled for.

Elementary students' participation style in synchronous online communication and collaboration

This research investigated how differently elementary school students participate in synchronous online collaborative learning by analysing their discussions with their partners. Two hundred and seventy-eight Taiwanese students, ranging in age from 11 to 12 years old, were involved in this study. The students were randomly arranged within-class into three-member groups. Each group used a collaborative learning system to discuss and accomplish a group assignment (creating a shared concept map). The textual discussions by each individual student were collected, categorised and accumulated. Cluster analysis was adopted to statistically classify students based on their discussion characteristics. We found that a student, while participating in online collaboration and communication, exhibited a distinct style: less contributing, coordination emphasising, communicative or task-oriented. In addition, students exhibiting the task-oriented pattern and students predominantly showing communicative behaviours were found to have better learning performance and retain more knowledge than students observed to be coordination emphasising or less contributing within group collaboration.

The association of media exposure and media literacy with adolescent alcohol and tobacco use

This study examined the relationship of media exposure and media literacy to alcohol and tobacco use among adolescents in Taiwan. A total of 2992 10th-grade students recruited from 26 high schools in Taipei, Taiwan, completed a questionnaire in 2010. The multivariable analysis results indicated that the students with higher alcohol and tobacco media exposure were more likely to use alcohol and tobacco and have intentions to drink and smoke, while students with higher media literacy were less likely to use alcohol and have intentions to drink and smoke.

Relationship between Parental and Adolescent eHealth Literacy and Online Health Information Seeking in Taiwan

This study examined the relationship between parental and adolescent eHealth literacy and its impact on online health information seeking. Data were obtained from 1,869 junior high school students and 1,365 parents in Taiwan in 2013. Multivariate analysis results showed that higher levels of parental Internet skill and eHealth literacy were associated with an increase in parental online health information seeking. Parental eHealth literacy, parental active use Internet mediation, adolescent Internet literacy, and health information literacy were all related to adolescent eHealth literacy. Similarly, adolescent Internet/health information literacy, eHealth literacy, and parental active use Internet mediation, and parental online health information seeking were associated with an increase in adolescent online health information seeking. The incorporation of eHealth literacy courses into parenting programs and school education curricula is crucial to promote the eHealth literacy of parents and adolescents.

Predictors of unwanted exposure to online pornography and online sexual solicitation of youth

This study examined factors associated with the unwanted exposure to online pornography and unwanted online sexual solicitation victimization and perpetration of youth in Taiwan. A total of 2315 students from 26 high schools were assessed in the 10th grade, with follow-up performed in the 11th grade. Self-administered questionnaires were collected. Multivariate analysis results indicated that higher levels of online game use, pornography media exposure, Internet risk behaviors, depression, and cyberbullying experiences predicted online sexual solicitation victimization, while higher levels of Internet chat room use, pornography media exposure, Internet risk behaviors, cyberbullying experiences, and offline sexual harassment predicted online sexual solicitation perpetration.