Sara Bastiaensens

A meta-analysis of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion.

Several systematic reviews have described health-promoting effects of serious games but so far no meta-analysis has been reported. This paper presents a meta-analysis of 54 serious digital game studies for healthy lifestyle promotion, in which we investigated the overall effectiveness of serious digital games on healthy lifestyle promotion outcomes and the role of theoretically and clinically important moderators. Findings showed that serious games have small positive effects on healthy lifestyles (g=0.260, 95% CI 0.148; 0.373) and their determinants (g=0.334, 95% CI 0.260; 0.407), especially for knowledge. Effects on clinical outcomes were significant, but much smaller (g=0.079, 95% CI 0.038; 0.120). Long-term effects were maintained for all outcomes except for behavior. Serious games are best individually tailored to both socio-demographic and change need information, and benefit from a strong focus on game theories or a dual theoretical foundation in both behavioral prediction and game theories. They can be effective either as a stand-alone or multi-component programs, and appeal to populations regardless of age and gender. Given that effects of games remain heterogeneous, further explorations of which game features create larger effects are needed.

Determinants of self-reported bystander behavior in cyberbullying incidents amongst adolescents.

This study explores behavioral determinants of self-reported cyberbullying bystander behavior from a behavioral change theoretical perspective, to provide levers for interventions. Nine focus groups were conducted with 61 young adolescents (aged 12-16 years, 52% girls). Assertive defending, reporting to others, providing advice, and seeking support were the most mentioned behaviors. Self-reported bystander behavior heavily depended on contextual factors, and should not be considered a fixed participant role. Bystanders preferred to handle cyberbullying offline and in person, and comforting the victim was considered more feasible than facing the bully. Most prevailing behavioral determinants to defend or support the victim were low moral disengagement, that the victim is an ingroup member, and that the bystander is popular. Youngsters felt they received little encouragement from their environment to perform positive bystanding behavior, since peers have a high acceptance for not defending and perceived parental support for defending behavior is largely lacking. These results suggest multilevel models for cyberbullying research, and interventions are needed. With much previous research into cyberbullying insufficiently founded in theoretical models, the employed framework of the Integrative Model and Social Cognitive Theory may inspire future studies into bystander behavior.

Mobilizing bystanders of cyberbullying : an exploratory study into behavioural determinants of defending the victim

This study explores behavioural determinants of defending behaviour in cyberbullying incidents. Three focus groups were conducted with youngsters aged 12-16 y. Major themes that were found as important behavioural determinants to defend the victim were a low moral disengagement, that the victim is an in-group member and that the bystander is popular. Bystanders preferred to handle cyberbullying offline and in person, and comforting the victim was considered more feasible than facing the bully. With a high peer acceptance of passive bystanding and lack of parental support for defending behaviour, youngsters do not receive much encouragement from their environment to exhibit defending behaviour towards victims. These preliminary results suggest befriending and peer support interventions hold promise, as well as environmental interventions with parents and teachers. These first results will need to be confirmed in more in-depth analyses and in quantitative research.

Deciding whether to look after them, to like it, or leave it

BackgroundPositive bystander behavior in cyberbullying among adolescents may effectively mitigate cyberbullying and its harm for the victim. Limited, scattered, and sometimes only qualitative research is available on predictors of positive (e.g. defending, comforting or reporting) and negative (e.g. passive bystanding, joining, reinforcing) bystander behavior in cyberbullying. A multidimensional model and multilevel analysis were therefore applied in this study. MethodsA sample of 1979 adolescents in 7th -9th grade, in 16 schools and 158 classes participated in the study. Analyses were performed in MLwiN 2.32. ResultsAnalyses confirmed the multifaceted nature of bystander behavior and behavioral intention. No school level effects, and only limited class effects were found. Strongest individual predictors of positive bystander behavior were a positive intention, and friendship with the victim. Intention for positive bystander behavior was most predicted by positive outcome expectations of their actions for the victim. Negative bystander behavior was most predicted by intentions for negative behavior, and moral disengagement attitudes. Intentions to act as a negative bystander were most predicted by positive attitudes towards passive bystanding and a lack of skills (social, empathic, coping). Moral disengagement at classroom level also predicted positive behavior and behavioral intentions, and negative behavioral intentions, but not negative behavior. Information days for pupils on cyberbullying was a significant school-level predictor of the intention to act as a positive bystander. ConclusionsFuture research and interventions should take the multidimensional nature of cyberbullying bystander behavior into account. Implications for research and practice are discussed. Predictors of cyberbullying bystander behavior are studied among 1979 adolescents.A multilevel and multidimensional approach was used.Negative (e.g. passive) and positive (e.g. defending) behavior were studied.School and class factors were not strong predictors of bystander behavior.Predictors are multifaceted, and different for negative and positive bystanding.

‘Can I afford to help?’ How affordances of communication modalities guide bystanders' helping intentions towards harassment on social network sites

When bystanders want to help victims of harassment on social network sites, they can be guided by the affordances of different communication modalities in order to make a communicative choice. Elaborating on the data of a previous experimental study with 453 adolescents, we compared bystanders’ behavioural intentions to help the victim according to their ‘mediacy’ (via communication technologies (CT) or face-to-face) and their ‘privacy’ (in public or in private). Furthermore, we investigated whether the context of the harassing incident (incident severity, identity and behaviour of other bystanders) influenced the ‘mediacy’ and ‘privacy’ of bystanders’ helping intentions. The results showed that in general bystanders had higher behavioural intentions to help the victim in private (vs. in public) and via CT (vs. face-to-face). While incident severity influenced the ‘mediacy’ of bystanders’ helping intentions, the identity and behaviour of other bystanders affected the ‘privacy’ of their helping intentions.

Bridging behavior science and gaming theory

IntroductionThe Intervention Mapping Protocol (IMP) was applied to the design of a serious game against cyberbullying among adolescents (12-14y). MethodThe IMP comprises 6 predefined steps. A systematic review assessed the cyberbullying problem and associated health risks (Step 1). Surveys and focus groups collected information on behavior and its determinants from adolescents (surveys, n?=?1979 and n?=?453; focus groups, n?=?69), parents (surveys, n?=?48 and n?=?323) and educators (survey, n?=?451) (Step 1, 2). Meta-analyses analyzed effective methods for cyberbullying programs and serious games (Step 3). A survey (n?=?530) and focus groups (n?=?69 adolescents, n?=?8 adolescents) assessed preferences and program material appreciation (Step 4). Planned activities for step 5 (implementation) and step 6 (effectiveness) are reported. ResultsTargeting positive bystander behavior (defending, reporting and comforting) was chosen as a viable approach to reduce cyberbullying. Bystander behavior differed by context and was predicted most by positive outcome expectations for the victims. Adolescents valued educator and parental support. Predictors for educator behavior and parental support are described. Serious game design was based on effective change methods and features, and took stakeholder and user preferences into account. ConclusionFindings may aid professionals in evidence- and theory-based design of cyberbullying interventions and serious games. The evidence- and theory-based design of an anti-cyberbullying program is presented.Promoting positive bystander behavior may help end cyberbullying and its harm.Behavior change methods need to be balanced with gaming features, based on evidence.User testing is crucial, and amended the program design.The protocol used professional, user, and stakeholder expertise in game design.

Psychometric data of a questionnaire to measure cyberbullying bystander behavior and its behavioral determinants among adolescents

.This paper describes the items, scale validity and scale reliability of a self-report questionnaire that measures bystander behavior in cyberbullying incidents among adolescents, and its behavioral determinants. Determinants included behavioral intention, behavioral attitudes, moral disengagement attitudes, outcome expectations, self-efficacy, subjective norm and social skills. Questions also assessed (cyber-)bullying involvement. Validity and reliability information is based on a sample of 238 adolescents (M age=13.52 years, SD=0.57). Construct validity was assessed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) or Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) in Mplus7 software. Reliability (Cronbach Alpha, α) was assessed in SPSS, version 22. Data and questionnaire are included in this article. Further information can be found in DeSmet et al. (2018) [1].

Reporting about Catalonia in Belgian newspapers

As two regions with national aspirations for autonomy, Catalonia and Flanders are often compared. This article analyses how this is reflected in the press, focusing in particular on Belgian press reports about Catalonia. On the one hand, we analyse how much Catalonia is written about, as an indication of the perceived relevance of Catalan news to Belgian readers; in particular, we investigate whether Flemish newspapers (which may feel more proximity to the Catalan case) write more about Catalonia than French-language newspapers. On the other, we analyse how Catalonia is written about. Specifically, is the Catalan context explicitly compared to Belgium? Is there a focus on particular themes related to national conflicts? And is there a difference between (Flemish) Dutch-language and French-language newspapers in this respect? A full year of reporting (1 June 2010 to 31 May 2011) was analysed, both quantitatively and qualitatively, for our research