Search

There is some indication that discrimination as well as low levels of life satisfaction render young people at risk of cyberhate victimization. Adopting a socio-ecological perspective, this paper examines whether supportive family, peer and school environments may buffer against the effects of perceived discrimination and low life satisfaction on cyberhate victimization. Data from four countries (N = 3396) of the EU Kids Online IV survey on children aged 11–17 (51% girls) revealed a positive association between perceived discrimination and cyberhate victimization, but this impact was moderated by supportive family and peer environments. A negative association between life satisfaction and cyberhate victimization was mitigated by peer support. However, no associations with the school context were found. The current study provides new insights on how social support on different levels of the social environment may buffer against potential risk factors for cyberhate victimization and can inform decision-makers towards intervention and prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper introduces a set of four studies focused on adolescents in the Czech Republic. In the first part, authors reflect on the cultural background, the political, social, and psychological factors that have had influence on several generations of adolescents in the period of the communist totalitarian regime. They also describe the social changes brought by the democratization of Czech society since the early 1990s. Second part of the paper reviews the life and changes in the behavior of Czech adolescents over the past 20 years. Based the findings of three studies representing three cohorts of adolescents (1992, 2001, 2010), it is argued that current Czech adolescents are becoming more like their Western peers. Compared with the 1990s adolescents, the current cohort is more realistic in their expectations, oriented more on achievement, social pleasure, and material values. Their relationship to formal authorities is weaker; especially, the relationships with parents and teachers are more liberal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Adolescents use media that exposes them to sexual material. This study focused on adolescents in the Czech Republic, a country with relatively high rates of exposure to sexual material (ESM). A sample of adolescents aged 11 to 15 years (N = 495) taken from the project EU Kids Online II was examined for predictors of the following: frequency of ESM, place of ESM, and, for online ESM, the types of sites. The only predictors of sporadic ESM were age and excessive Internet use, while age, gender, sensation seeking, and excessive Internet use were predictors of frequent ESM. Age and excessive Internet use were predictors only of ESM online, while age, gender, emotional problems, sensation seeking, and excessive Internet use were predictors of ESM in online and offline environments. High ESM is linked to adolescent vulnerability and also to adolescent psychosexual development. The implications of these findings are discussed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study investigates developmental patterns of fear in adolescence. It is based on longitudinal data collected as a part of the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC) project. A total of 186 Czech adolescents (43% girls) were assessed repeatedly at the age of 11, 13, and 15 years. The free-response method was used to examine individual-specific fears. Fear occurrence, content, and intensity changes in 19 general fear categories in the age groups studied were investigated. The findings reveal that the most common fears of 11- and 13-year-old adolescents were related to school. However, at the age of 15, the most common fear category was the fear of losing someone, or the fear of something happening to somebody. Furthermore, we found that developmental trajectories of fear categories are characterized by a transition from the specific and concrete fears of childhood to the more general and abstract fears of adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The study deals with the relationship between antisocial behavior in early adolescence and family environment. Sample consisted of 2,856 adolescents (53% girls, mean age 13.5 years, SD = 1.1) from urban areas in the Czech Republic. The Social and Health Assessment (SAHA), a school survey, was used to measure sociodemographic characteristics of the family, parent-child interactions, and antisocial behavior. K-means cluster analysis on the items of Antisocial Behavior Scale was used to identify types of adolescents differentiated on the basis of antisocial behavior. Four major clusters of adolescents were identified. Subsequently, adolescents from different clusters were compared on sociodemographic variables (Pearson’s chi-square) and aspects of upbringing (analysis of variance [ANOVA]). While there were no substantial differences between adolescents from the different clusters in sociodemographic characteristics of their family (parental education, parents employment, family structure), there were significant differences in aspects of upbringing (consistence, involvement, control, warmth) between adolescents from clusters differentiated by antisocial behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]