Maria José D. Martins

Emoções no cyberbullying: um estudo com adolescentes portugueses

This paper presents a part of the extensive study of the project Cyberbullying – A Diagnosis of the Situation in Portugal, which applied a questionnaire to 3,525 teenagers in the 6th, 8th and 11th schooling levels. In order to characterize cyberbullying, we have sought to contribute to the identification and interpretation of emotions experienced by the youngsters involved as victims or offenders in cyberbullying situations. The data reveal that sadness, desire for revenge, and fear are the most frequent emotions of the victims, while satisfaction, indifference and relief are those that the offenders experience the most. Data also reveal significant differences between the emotions experienced by victims and those that offenders attributed to them, which can be an indicator of the lack of empathy of the latter and thus requires the development of an emotional education of youngsters. Some significant differences have been found concerning schooling level, sex, school, and municipality, namely: a higher incidence of emotions such as sadness, fear, insecurity, and the desire for revenge among male victims; more feelings of insecurity, relief, confusion, and disorientation among young female offenders; emotions associated with impotence and lack of support experienced by youngsters in the role of victims, more in some schools than in others. These data lead us to reflect on how to take action to prevent cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying in Portuguese Schools: Prevalence and Characteristics

ABSTRACT This study examined the extent and nature of cyberbullying in 23 Portuguese schools. A sample of 3,525 sixth-, eighth-, and eleventh-grade students completed a self-response questionnaire assessing their perceptions and experiences of cyberbullying. The findings showed that 7.6% of students have been victimized, and 3.9% have bullied others at least once over the last year. The incidences of victimization were higher for females and for the older students. In contrast, more boys reported having bullied others in the eleventh grade. The most frequent medium of cyberbullying was via websites, whilst sending offensive messages was the most widely reported type of behavior. Telling someone about cyberbullying is among the most frequent coping strategies used by cybervictims, who usually chose to tell their friends rather than adults. Implications of these findings for students, schools, and parents are discussed.

Crenças e atitudes de estudantes do ensino superior associadas ao uso de substâncias psicoativas

The entry in a higher education institution enables young people to new experiences, some contribute to their development, others can be harmful to their health. The main objectives of this study were to examine the type and frequency of legal and illegal psychoactive substances, used by students of polytechnics, and their beliefs and attitudes or cognitive distortions associated with these consumptions. We adapted the HIT-D&A questionnaire (How I Think about Drugs and Questionnaire Alcohol) from Barriga and colleagues (2008) and applied it to 193 students, aged between 19 and 25 and attending the first year of a higher education course. The results showed that the most consumed psychoactive substances were alcohol, followed by tobacco and then marijuana. The results are discussed in terms of the role of the irrational beliefs in behaviour with consequences for human health and the most appropriate strategies to prevent the use of these substances.