Tali Heiman

Cyberbullying victimisation in adolescence: relationships with loneliness and depressive mood

Cyberbullying is deliberate, aggressive activity carried out through digital means. Cybervictimisation in adolescence may be related to negative psychosocial variables such as loneliness and depressive mood. The purpose of the present study, the first of its kind in Israel, was to examine the association between adolescent cybervictimisation and two socio-emotional variables: loneliness and depressive mood. The sample consisted of 242 Israeli adolescents, aged 13–16 years, who completed questionnaires regarding Internet use, cyberbullying, traditional bullying, loneliness and depressive mood. In total, 16.5% of the participants reported being cybervictims and 32.5% reported knowing someone who was cybervictimised. The results revealed a relationship between cybervictimisation and loneliness (social, emotional and general) as well as depressive mood. A logistic hierarchical regression found that loneliness, gender and depressive mood each explained some variance in cybervictimisation in adolescents. As an anchor for comparison, and in order to shed light on the findings, results are presented in comparison to traditional bullying. The results make a contribution to national and international cyberbullying research and broaden the knowledge about potential risk factors for cybervictimisation.

Loneliness, Depression, and Social Skills Among Students with Mild Mental Retardation in Different Educational Settings

This study examined 575 students with mild mental retardation (MMR) in three educational settings. Their loneliness, depression, and social skills were assessed through student self-reports and peer perception of social status. Results indicated developmental changes in the group of students with MMR in self-contained classes in general education schools. Preadolescent students in those classes exhibited a greater sense of loneliness than did similar students in special education schools, but by the adolescent stage no differences were found between them and the general education students. The same trend was found for feelings of depression and for peer perception of social status.

Friendship quality among children in three educational settings

This study investigates the quality of friendship as reported by adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities in different educational settings, compared with similar reports by students without disabilities. Participants included 121 students with intellectual disability in special education schools, 189 students with intellectual disability in self-contained mainstreamed schools and 265 students without disability. Results indicated significant differences between these groups in their perception of friendship. Students with intellectual disability in special schools tended to have fewer friends than students with intellectual disability within mainstreamed schools, most of them meeting friends at school only. The students in special education schools responded more passively, and felt lonelier, than students in the other groups.

Examination of the salutogenic model, support resources, coping style, and stressors among Israeli university students.

The author investigated A. Antonovskys (1979) concept of the sense of coherence (SOC) in relation to social support, coping styles, and the stress experiences of college students. A multivariate model was used to assess the relationships between the psychosocial resources, perceived stress, and the effect of different coping styles among 261 undergraduate students in three Israeli institutions of higher education. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance revealed that younger students used more emotional strategies and perceived having greater social support from friends than did older students. Students who did not work reported experiencing higher levels of stress associated with daily life and work-related issues. Women used more emotional and avoidance coping strategies. The findings of the regression analysis demonstrated that task-oriented and emotional coping modes, work stress, and family support explained 30% of the variance of SOC. These results increase our understanding of the salutogenic model of students within university settings and suggest focusing on the students and their interaction with the environment, using the concepts of stress, coping, and social support as inseparable characteristics of systems models.

An Examination of Peer Relationships of Children With and Without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

The study examined Friendship Qualities among 39 children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and 17 children without ADHD, studying in mainstreamed classes, and compared their self-reports with their parents’ and teachers’ perceptions. Although the literature has described ADHD children as having social difficulties, a higher rate of social difficulties and being at higher risk for peer rejection, the results of this study showed that the number of friends for children with ADHD was not significantly lower and their self-reported activities during leisure time were as varied as those of their peers without ADHD. Results also indicated that children with ADHD did not express more intense feelings of loneliness, nor did they report on continuous problems in their social relationships as compared to children without ADHD. Significant differences were obtained regarding the perceived characteristics of ‘a close friend’, and regarding places to meet friends. Comparing adults’ and children’s perceptions indicated that parents and teachers of children with ADHD perceived their children’s loneliness as higher than parents and teachers of the control group. The findings highlight the need for parents and teachers to develop awareness and involvement in children’s friendship relationships.

Coping experience among students in higher education

The study examines the coping strategies among 130 undergraduate college and university students with learning disabilities (LD) and 146 students without learning disabilities (NLD). Students completed self‐reported instruments designed to measure stress, support and strategies. The findings revealed that students without LD reported higher work stress, higher combined stress and more social support than did students with LD. Students without LD were more task orientated and perceived more support than students with LD, while students with LD used more emotional coping strategies than NLD students. Differences were also obtained regarding age and gender. The study highlights the importance of further investigations with a larger sample and the support sources of students with LD, and suggests developing task‐oriented coping strategies designed especially for students with LD. Background variables of participants Students with LD Students without LD Variables (n=130) (n=146) Gender  Male, 62, 60  Female, 68, 86 Area of studies:  Humanities1, 10, 4  Social Sciences2, 88, 83  Natural Sciences3, 10, 16  Exact Sciences4, 15, 25  Not reported, 7, 18 Personal status:  Single, 89, 93  Married, 41, 50  Divorced, 0, 3 Notes: 1Humanities: Literature, Judaic Studies, History, Art, Music. 2Social Sciences: Psychology, Education, Economics, Management, Sociology, Communication Studies. 3Natural Sciences: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geology. 4Exact Sciences: Mathematics, Computer Science. Notes: aRanged from 1 to 4; c ranged from 1 to 5; branged from 1 to 7., *p <0.05; **p <0.01; ***p <0.001

Cyberbullying Involvement among Students with ADHD: Relation to Loneliness, Self-Efficacy and Social Support.

Cyberbullying is defined as an intentional online act via electronic media, to harm, embarrass and/or humiliate another person. As adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at a higher risk in being involved in bullying behaviour as perpetrators or victims, the main purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of their cyber experience and its impact on loneliness, perceived self-efficacy and social support. The study population included 140 adolescent students with ADHD taking part in general classes and 332 students without disabilities, all of whom completed four self-report questionnaires (cyberbullying, perceived feelings of loneliness, self-efficacy and social support). The findings show no significant differences between students with or without ADHD regarding the time spent on the net and their perceived usage expertise. Most participants with ADHD were familiar with the internet and spent a similar amount of time surfing as the adolescents without ADHD. Results revealed significant differences between the student groups (ADHD/Non-ADHD) and some of the social-emotional measures: students with ADHD who were cybervictims and students with ADHD who were cyberwitnesses reported on greater feelings of emotional loneliness and a lower belief in their social self-efficacy than the non-ADHD students. Furthermore, ADHD student cyberwitnesses also reported on feelings of greater social loneliness. Findings revealed that girls were significantly more often cybervictims than boys. However, boys reported on significantly more involvement as cyberperpetrators than girls.

Assessing Learning Styles among Students with and without Learning Disabilities at a Distance-Learning University.

Differences in the learning styles of students with and without learning disabilities (LD) at a distance-learning university were examined. Two hundred and twelve students answered self-report questionnaires on their learning styles. Results revealed that students with LD preferred to use more stepwise processing, including memorizing and drilling, than NLD students. In addition, students with LD reported a higher need for self-regulation strategies than their NLD peers, including controlling their learning process, self-orientation, planning, monitoring, and continuous evaluation of their learning process and results. LD students also claimed to lack regulation, noting their difficulties with the learning process. Findings are discussed in relation to how distance-learning universities can better cultivate the abilities of their LD and NLD students.

Cyberbullying Experience and Gender Differences Among Adolescents in Different Educational Settings

Cyberbullying refers to a negative activity aimed at deliberate and repeated harm through the use of a variety of electronic media. This study examined the Internet behavior patterns and gender differences among students with learning disabilities who attended general education and special education classes, their involvement in cyberbullying, and the relationships among being cyberbullied, their responses, and their coping strategies. The sample consisted of 149 students with learning disabilities (LD) attending general education classes, 116 students with comorbid LD attending special education classes, and 242 typically achieving students. All the students, studying in middle and high schools, completed a self-report cyberbullying questionnaire. Findings indicate that although no significant differences emerged in the amount of surfing hours and students’ expertise in the use of the Internet, students attending special education classes are more likely to be cybervictims and cyberperpetrators; girls are more likely to be cybervictims, whereas boys are more likely to be cyberperpetrators. These results contribute to our understanding of students’ involvement in cyberbullying and can serve as a basis for developing preventive programs as well as intervention programs for students and for educational school teams.

Students With LD in Higher Education: Use and Contribution of Assistive Technology and Website Courses and Their Correlation to Students’ Hope and Well-Being

This study examined the extent and patterns of usage of web courses, and their contribution to the academic and social perceptions of 964 undergraduate students with and without learning disabilities studying in higher education. Students were asked to complete four questionnaires examining the usage patterns of various adaptive technologies and their contribution to the student. The questionnaires assessed Perceptions of Learning through Online Usage; Accessibility of Campus Computing; Hope Scale and Subjective Well-being Scale. A detailed examination of the usage patterns of online courses revealed that, compared to the comparison group, students with LD log more often into the course sites, going into the forum more frequently and leaving significantly more messages on the forum than students in the comparison group. Findings indicated that students with LD are more familiar with assistive technology and use it more than the comparison group. Students with LD reported higher scores on the Hope scale, they felt an increased drive to find different pathways to attain their goals, as well as being motivated to pursue those goals, and their subjective well-being was higher that of the students in the comparison group.