Esther Calvete

Cyberbullying in adolescents: Modalities and aggressors' profile

In this study, a questionnaire (Cyberbullying Questionnaire, CBQ) was developed to assess the prevalence of numerous modalities of cyberbullying (CB) in adolescents. The association of CB with the use of other forms of violence, exposure to violence, acceptance and rejection by peers was also examined. In the study, participants were 1431 adolescents, aged between 12 and17years (726 girls and 682 boys). The adolescents responded to the CBQ, measures of reactive and proactive aggression, exposure to violence, justification of the use of violence, and perceived social support of peers. Sociometric measures were also used to assess the use of direct and relational aggression and the degree of acceptance and rejection by peers. The results revealed excellent psychometric properties for the CBQ. Of the adolescents, 44.1% responded affirmatively to at least one act of CB. Boys used CB to greater extent than girls. Lastly, CB was significantly associated with the use of proactive aggression, justification of violence, exposure to violence, and less perceived social support of friends.

The Schema Questionnaire - Short Form

Abstract. This research studied the factor structure of the Spanish version of the Schema Questionnaire - Short Form (SQ-SF; Young & Brown, 1994). The participants (407 undergraduate students) completed the SQ-SF together with the following scales to measure symptoms of affective disorders and automatic thoughts: the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI-2), the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Revised (ATQ-R), the Anxious Self-Statements Questionnaire (ASSQ), and the Self-Talk Inventory (STI). The confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesized structure of 15 first-order factors for the SQ-SF. However, the results were mixed with regard to the hierarchical arrangement of schemas. On the other hand, the results revealed several clinically relevant associations among cognitive schemas, symptoms of affective disorders (depression, anxiety, and anger) and automatic thoughts (positive thoughts, depressive t...

Perceived social support, coping, and symptoms of distress in American and Spanish students

Abstract The aim of this study was to test whether coping responses mediated the influence of perceived social support on symptoms of anxiety/depression, social withdrawal, and aggressive behavior in American (N=349) and Spanish students (N=437). Participants completed measures of perceived support, social stress, coping, and distress. Coping partially mediated relations between perceived support and distress, with coping mediation most evident in individuals facing high levels of social stress. Decreased use of disengagement coping by individuals with high perceived support appears to partially explain the protective value of perceived social support. Multiple group covariance structure analysis showed that models linking perceived support, coping, and distress were very similar across cultures, suggesting that the mechanisms underlying decreased risk for individuals with high perceived support may be relatively independent of cultural context, and that interventions designed to increase perceived support and decrease disengagement could be appropriate in both cultures.

Coping as a Mediator and Moderator Between Intimate Partner Violence and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

This study examines the role of coping as both a moderator and a mediator of the association between intimate partner violence and womens mental health. A sample of 298 women who had suffered physical aggression completed measures of physical and psychological abuse, coping responses, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Tests of moderation consistently indicated that coping responses did not moderate the impact of intimate partner violence on symptoms of anxiety and depression, whereas tests of mediation demonstrated that disengagement coping mediated the impact of psychological abuse on distress. Thus, findings support the hypothesis that coping responses are influenced by violence itself and underline the dysfunctional nature of disengagement coping among victims.

The impact of violence exposure on aggressive behavior through social information processing in adolescents

The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure to violence (EV) in several contexts predicts aggressive behavior through social information processing (SIP) in adolescents. Six hundred and fifty adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 participated in a 3-wave longitudinal study. The participants completed measures of proactive and reactive aggression at all waves, SIP measures at Time 1 and Time 2, and violence exposure at Time 1. It was expected that SIP would mediate the predictive relationship between EV and aggressive behavior. We found that total Time 1 EV predicted Time 3 reactive aggression. The influence of EV on proactive aggression was direct. Slight differences emerged, however, for victimization and witnessing violence. Witnessing was associated with reactive aggression via both hostile attribution and response selection, whereas victimization predicted reactive aggression via hostile attribution only. Results also suggested that the types of exposure that are most relevant for the development of aggressive behavior are community and school violence. Finally, male adolescents experienced more EV than female adolescents in all contexts except in the home. The findings indicate that intervention in social-cognitive mechanisms is important to reduce aggressive behavior in adolescents who have been exposed to violence.

Automatic thoughts and psychological symptoms : A cross-cultural comparison of American and Spanish students

This study examined the structure of automatic thoughts and relations between automatic thoughts and psychological symptoms from a cross-cultural perspective. Spanish university students (N = 437) and American university students (N = 349) completed the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Revised (ATQ-R) and the Young Adult Self-Report. Results supported a hierarchical arrangement of cognitions in which four first-order categories of self-talk (Dissatisfaction, Negative Self-Concept, Inability to Cope, and Positive Thoughts) were encompassed by two broad factors of Positive and Negative Self-Talk. The pattern of associations between automatic thoughts and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and externalizing problems supported both the cognitive content-specificity theory and the tripartite model of anxiety and depression. Multiple group covariance structure analysis showed that the structure of the ATQ-R and relations between the ATQ-R and symptoms were comparable in both groups, suggesting that the nature of automatic thoughts is similar across Western cultures.

Child-to-Parent Violence Emotional and Behavioral Predictors

Child-to-parent violence (CPV) includes acts committed by a child to intentionally cause physical, psychological, or financial pain to a parent. Available data indicate increasing rates of CPV in Spain, which have been attributed to a tendency toward more permissive parenting styles and changes in the power cycles within the families. The primary aim of this study was to assess the predictive role of some behavioral and emotional characteristics of adolescents who perpetrate CPV. A total of 1,072 adolescents (601 girls) filled out measures of CPV, proactive and reactive aggression, depressive symptoms, and substance abuse at Time 1, and measures of CPV 6 months later. The results showed that CPV was predicted by proactive, but not by reactive, aggression. This finding supports an instrumental role for CPV, which should be understood in the context of permissibility and lack of limits within the family. Depression and substance abuse also predicted the increase of CPV over time. Moreover, there were no sex differences in the prevalence of physical CPV, but verbal CPV was more predominant among girls. Although there were sex differences in some of the risk factors for CPV, the predictive model linking these risks to CPV was similar for boys and girls. Findings of this study suggest a psychological profile that combines internalizing problems and an instrumental use of violence in adolescents who perpetrate CPV. These characteristics are important for interventions.

Cross-cultural equivalence of coping and involuntary responses to stress in Spain and the United States

The cross-cultural equivalence of coping and involuntary responses to social stress was tested using confirmatory factor analysis of the Responses to Stress Questionnaire in samples of 421 Spanish and 322 American college students. The fit of a coping model, consisting of primary control engagement, secondary control engagement, and disengagement factors, was confirmed in each sample, along with the fit of an involuntary response model, consisting of engagement and disengagement factors. However, factor loadings for primary control engagement coping differed across samples, as did mean levels of stress, coping, and involuntary responses to stress. Implications for understanding the nature of coping and involuntary responses to stress across cultures are highlighted.

Emotional abuse as a predictor of early maladaptive schemas in adolescents: contributions to the development of depressive and social anxiety symptoms

The schema therapy model posits that maltreatment generates early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) that lead to the development of emotional disorders throughout the life span. The model also stipulates that temperament moderates the influence of maltreatment on EMSs. This study examines (a) whether emotional abuse perpetrated by parents and peers, both alone and interactively with temperament, predicts the worsening of EMSs; and (b) whether EMSs in turn predict an increase in depressive and social anxiety symptoms in adolescents. A total of 1,052 adolescents (Mage=13.43; SD=1.29) were assessed at three time points, each of which was separated by 6 months. The subjects completed measures of emotional abuse by parents and peers, neuroticism, extraversion, EMSs, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety. The findings indicate that emotional bullying victimization and neuroticism predict a worsening of all schema domains over time. Contrary to expectations, there was no significant interaction between temperament dimensions and emotional abuse. The results confirmed the mediational hypothesis that changes in EMSs mediated the predictive association between bullying victimization and emotional symptoms. This study provides partial support for the schema therapy model by demonstrating the role of emotional abuse and temperament in the genesis of EMSs.

Social Information Processing as a Mediator Between Cognitive Schemas and Aggressive Behavior in Adolescents

This longitudinal investigation assessed whether cognitive schemas of justification of violence, mistrust, and narcissism predicted social information processing (SIP), and SIP in turn predicted aggressive behavior in adolescents. A total of 650 adolescents completed measures of cognitive schemas at Time 1, SIP in ambiguous social scenarios at Time 1 and Time 2, and reactive aggression at Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3 to determine whether SIP measured at Time 2 mediated between the cognitive schemas measured at Time 1 and the aggressive behavior measured at Time 3. The results showed that each schema predicted different SIP components: Justification of violence predicted aggressive response access, narcissism predicted anger and aggressive response access, and mistrust predicted more hostile attributions and less anger. Only the SIP component of aggressive response access was directly associated with reactive aggression. The mediational model was quite similar for boys and girls although some paths, such as the association between aggressive response access and reactive aggression, were higher for boys.