Sara Pabian

Using the theory of planned behaviour to understand cyberbullying: The importance of beliefs for developing interventions

This paper starts from the observation that research on cyberbullying perpetration has paid relatively little attention to proximal determinants of this behaviour. It therefore tests the value of a model that departs from variables representing the beliefs underlying the central concepts of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to explain cyberbullying intention and behaviour. The data stem from a longitudinal study amongst 1606 students (11–17 years). A SEM analysis reveals that these beliefs account for respectively 88.8%, 38.2% and 24.6% of the variance in subjective norm (SN), perceived behavioural control (PBC) and attitude (A). The direct measurements of SN, A and PBC account for 28.8% of the variance of the intention to cyberbully, and intention, in turn, explains 8.6% of the reported behaviour six months later. We conclude that the model provides a detailed insight into the relative importance of several proximal determinants of cyberbullying, which benefits future cyberbullying interventions.

Popularity Through Online Harm The Longitudinal Associations Between Cyberbullying and Sociometric Status in Early Adolescence

The present study examines the reciprocal associations between cyberbullying behavior and young adolescents’ social status. For this purpose, a two-wave panel study with an 8-month time interval was conducted among an entire grade of 154 secondary school pupils (age 12-14). The survey featured items on traditional bullying and cyberbullying as well as peer-nomination questions on sociometric and perceived popularity. Cyberbullying was related to subsequent increases in perceived popularity of the perpetrators. In contrast, traditional bullying perpetration was not longitudinally associated with social status during the studied period. Although perceived popularity was also expected to precede cyberbullying behavior, this was not observed. Taken together, the results suggest that electronic forms of bullying, rather than traditional forms, can provide a means to acquire additional perceived popularity in early adolescence. The findings warrant future research on the factors that moderate the association between cyberbullying and social status.

Developmental Trajectories of (Cyber)Bullying Perpetration and Social Intelligence during Early Adolescence.

The purpose of the present study is to examine bullying perpetration and social intelligence (SI), which is a sociocognitive characteristic that has been proposed as a possible regulator of traditional and cyberbullying. We compared SI for perpetrators and nonperpetrators of traditional bullying and/or cyberbullying and examined longitudinal associations. A four-wave panel study with 6-month time intervals was conducted among 1,103 adolescents. Latent class analysis was used to examine developmental trajectories of bullying across 2 years. Four profiles of adolescents were found: nonstop traditional bullies, (traditional and cyber) bullies with decreasing perpetration, (traditional and cyber) bullies with increasing perpetration, and noninvolved. No separate nonstop cyberbullying class was found. In a next step, latent growth curves of SI were calculated for each profile. Nonstop traditional bullies had the lowest levels of SI and their level remained low. Further implications of these results for prevention and intervention, and for research are discussed.

Short-Term Longitudinal Relationships between Adolescents' (Cyber)Bullying Perpetration and Bonding to School and Teachers.

The purpose of this study was to test bidirectional relationships between (cyber)bullying and a) bonding to school and b) bonding to teachers. These relationships were examined while controlling for traditional and cyberbullying victimization, as well as gender and age. The sample consisted of 2,128 Belgian early adolescents, who participated in a two-wave panel study with a 6-month time interval. The data were analysed using cross-lagged panel analyses. The results indicate the robust temporal stability of being bonded to school and teachers, bullying perpetration (traditional and cyber), and bullying victimization (traditional and cyber). For teacher bonding, a small negative bidirectional relationship was found with cyberbullying perpetration. Low levels of teacher bonding at Time 1 predicted subsequent cyberbullying at Time 2; cyberbullying at Time 1 led to later poor teacher bonding at Time 2. On the other hand, the expected longitudinal associations between school bonding and (cyber)bullying perpetration were not confirmed. The results of the current study implicate that a positive bonding to teachers in particular could be a protective factor against bullying via the Internet or mobile phone. Further implications of these results for prevention and intervention with regard to (cyber)bullying are discussed.

(Cyber)bullying Perpetration as an Impulsive, Angry Reaction Following (Cyber)bullying Victimisation?

This chapter starts from the unclear relation between impulsivity and (cyber)bullying perpetration and investigates the potential explanatory value of Agnew’s (1992) General Strain Theory. This theory posits that individuals who experience strain and angriness (as a result of strain) are more at risk of engaging in deviant behaviour, moderated by conditioning variables. In the current chapter, we tested whether (cyber)bullying victimisation leads to (cyber)bullying perpetration, mediated by anger and impulsivity. Analyses were performed on a longitudinal dataset (two time points, 6 months in between) among 1590 Belgian 11–17-year-olds. Path analyses showed direct relations between victimisation and perpetration. Indirect relations were found via anger and via the interaction term between anger and impulsivity. Victims who were angrier were more involved in bullying perpetration at time 2. This relation was slightly stronger for angry, impulsive victims. The results provide further insight into the determinants of (cyber)bullying behaviour.

Cyberbullying Research in Belgium: An Overview of Generated Insights and a Critical Assessment of the Mediation of Technology in a Web 2.0 World

As one of the most recent forms of peer aggression, cyberbullying has emerged in our communities as a societal problem affecting the mental health of contemporary youth. As the prefix “cyber-” suggests, this type of bullying occurs through the use of an electronic medium. Following some widely covered cases in media (e.g. The Megan Meier story, the Amanda Todd case), scholarly attention devoted to this topic has significantly increased during the past decade (Tokunaga, Computers in Human Behavior 26(3), 277–287, 2010). Also in Belgium, scholars have put their efforts together to gain a better understanding of cyberbullying. In this context, the research group Media, ICT/Interpersonal relations in Organisations and Society (MIOS) has adopted the role of a Belgian pioneer in studying this form of negative online conduct among youngsters on the Internet and via mobile devices. The first aim of the chapter is to provide an overview of the outcomes of these research efforts. Both the prevalence rates, observed across five large-scale studies conducted by MIOS on cyberbullying, and the predictors of victimization and perpetration identified in these studies will be discussed.

Setting a Bad Example: Peer, Parental, and Celebrity Norms Predict Celebrity Bashing

The present study investigated the effect of descriptive and injunctive norms of peers, parents, and favorite celebrities on adolescents’ negative online behavior toward celebrities. The sample consisted of 1,255 adolescents ( X ¯ a g e = 14.17, SD = 0.47). Adolescents indicated what their peers, parents, and favorite celebrities think of celebrity bashing (injunctive norms) and whether they engage in it (descriptive norms). The adolescents also indicated how often they had participated in negative online behavior toward celebrities and peers. The results revealed that compared with injunctive norms, descriptive norms are better predictors of adolescents’ negative online behavior toward celebrities. Focusing on the different role models, the impact of peers was the strongest for both mild and severe forms of celebrity aggression. Moreover, the results showed that adolescents who engage in negative online behavior directed at celebrities are likely to do the same regarding peers.

Online Celebrity Bashing: Wrecking Ball or Good for You? Adolescent Girls’ Attitudes Toward the Media and Public Bashing of Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez

Journalists and readers of celebrity news regularly bash celebrities online, a behavior that is easily accepted among adolescents. This study investigates whether these attitudes of acceptance differ according to the perpetrator of the bashing (media versus public) and the likeability of the involved celebrity (liked versus disliked). Using a vignette study, we examine adolescent girls’ attitudes toward media (journalists’) and public (readers’) bashing of a generally disliked celebrity (Miley Cyrus) and a generally liked celebrity (Selena Gomez). All participants read an identical negative news story (media bashing) and two related negative reader comments (public bashing). Participants were randomly assigned to read this information about either Miley Cyrus or Selena Gomez. Results of a mixed-design ANOVA showed that the girls had less negative attitudes toward media bashing compared with public bashing. Moreover, they more easily accepted the bashing of a disliked celebrity than the bashing of a liked celebrity.