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The Bystander Intervention Model (BIM) has been validated for face-to-face emergencies and dictates that observers’ decision to intervene hinges on five sequential steps, while barriers block progress between steps. The current study is the first, to our knowledge, to apply the BIM in its entirety to cyber aggression and explore the ways that individual factors such as experiences with depression, social anxiety, and cyber aggression either as the target or the aggressor influence bystanders. In our preregistered study, emerging adults (N = 1,093) viewed pilot-tested cyber aggressive content and reported how they would engage with each of the steps and barriers of the BIM, if they were observing this content as a bystander in real life. Regarding the actions they would take, most participants chose non-intervention (36.3%) or private direct intervention (39.4%). Path analysis suggested that overall, the BIM can explain bystanders’ responses to cyber aggression. Nonetheless, there were some discrepancies with prior work on face-to-face emergencies, specifically that cyber bystander intervention does not appear to be as linear. As well, in contrast to the faceto-face applications of the BIM that prescribes barriers to affect only a single specific step, here we found some barriers were negatively linked to multiple steps. These findings elucidate ways in which cyber aggression in the online context may be similar to, as well as different from, aggression that occurs face-to-face. Implications of these findings for interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite media attention on non-consensual intimate image dissemination (NCII), the literature on the personality traits, attitudes, and beliefs that predict NCII approval, enjoyment, and perpetration is limited. With a sample of 810 undergraduate students, we examined the relationship between dark personality traits, acceptance of image-based sexual abuse-related myths, and NCII. We found that 48.2% of our participants did not oppose NCII perpetration, 71.4% did not oppose NCII enjoyment, and 97.8% did not oppose NCII approval. Moreover, we found that being a man, heterosexual, and scoring higher in dark personality traits predicted acceptance of Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA)-related myths. In turn, accepting such myths predicted not opposing NCII proclivity. Our results underscore the importance of demystifying technology-facilitated sexual violence and promoting educational material that highlights lived experience and dispelling IBSA-related myths. This article may assist educators, policymakers, and stakeholders in designing strategies for the prevention of non-consensual intimate image dissemination (NCII) perpetration by explaining how acceptance of image-based sexual abuse myths, personality traits, and demographic characteristics are related to the willingness to accept, enjoy, or engage in NCII perpetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggrieved entitlement (AE) refers to the defensiveness and hostility majority-group members feel toward the outgroup in response to a perceived threat of lost privileges. Over the last couple of years, AE has garnered a great deal of attention in the media as well as in the empirical literature because of its connection with extremism and violence against minority groups. Yet, to date, research quantifying and measuring the construct of AE is scant. In this paper, we aim to bridge this gap. Across two studies (N1 = 813; N2 = 1,100) we explore the factor structure of the Aggrieved Entitlement Scale (AES) and examine its concurrent and divergent validity with related demographic, attitudinal, and personality factors. We found that the AES was positively correlated with racist attitudes, fear-based xenophobia, authoritarianism, sexism, transphobia, and sexual entitlement. We further found that it was negatively correlated with feminist attitudes, honesty-humility, and compassionate love. In both samples, scores were higher among men (vs. women) and heterosexual (vs. sexual minority) individuals. Finally, in contrast to our expectations, racial and ethnic minority participants scored higher in AE than White participants. Results from this work offer initial support for the use of the AES and call for more research into the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media use is endemic among emerging adults, raising concerns that this trend may harm users. We tested whether reducing the quantity of social media use, relative to improving the way users engage with social media, benefits psychological well-being. Participants were 393 social media users (ages 17–29) in Canada, with elevated psychopathology symptoms, who perceived social media to negatively impact their life somewhat. They were randomized to either (a) assistance to engage with social media in a way to enhance connectedness (tutorial), (b) encouragement to abstain from social media (abstinence), or (c) no instructions to change behavior (control). Participants' social media behaviors were self-reported and tracked using phone screen time apps while well-being was self-reported, over four timepoints (6 weeks in total). Results suggested that the tutorial and abstinence groups, relative to control, reduced their quantity of social media use and the amount of social comparisons they made on social media, with abstinence being the most effective. Tutorial was the only condition to reduce participants' fear of missing out and loneliness, and abstinence was the only condition to reduce internalizing symptoms, relative to control. No condition differences emerged in eating pathology or the tendency to make social comparisons in an upward direction. Changes in social media behaviors mediated the effects of abstinence (but not of tutorial) on well-being outcomes. Participant engagement and perceptions of helpfulness were acceptable, but the abstinence group possibly perceived the content as less helpful. In conclusion, using social media differently and abstaining from social media may each benefit well-being. Public Significance Statement: Young adults today use social media a lot, and this has led to concerns that social media may be harming their well-being. This study found that young adults can be coached to use social media in a smarter way that helps them to build meaningful, supportive, online connections with others. Results suggested that coaching to build connections on social media, as well as cutting back on social media, may each improve users' psychological well-being in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on severe mental illness (SMI), trauma, PTSD, and substance use is expansive, yet no research exists examining the specific population served by Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) concerning these relationships and particularly the SMI-PTSD model proposed in the literature. In this paper, we employed retrospective chart reviews to extract information on trauma histories, PTSD, substance use, and psychosocial factors in a sample of 282 clients from four ACT teams (178 males; 104 females) to assess the gender differences in types of trauma, instances of PTSD, substances of choice, problematic substance use, and the SMI-PTSD model. Results indicated that rates of sexual trauma, emotional abuse, serious suicide attempts, rates of trauma in adulthood and PTSD were higher among women, whereas rates of alcohol, marijuana, and stimulant use as well as lifetime problematic substance use were higher among men. In terms of the SMI-PTSD model, results suggest that the model fits the experiences and possible trajectory of men with SMI better. Future work should investigate gender differences and gendered trajectories around the complex relationships between SMI, trauma, PTSD, substance use and examine how the SMI-PTSD model applies to persons of diverse backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deepfakes may refer to algorithmically synthesized material wherein the face of a person is superimposed onto another body. To date, most deepfakes found online are pornographic, with the people depicted in them rarely consenting to their creation and publicization. Deepfakes leave anyone with an online presence vulnerable to victimization. As a testament to policy often being reactionary to antisocial behavior, current Canadian legislation offers no clear recourse to those who are victimized by deepfake pornography. We aim to provide a critical review of the legal mechanisms and remedies in place, including criminal charges, defamation, copyright infringement laws, and injunctive relief that could be applied in deepfake pornography cases. To combat deepfake pornography, we suggest current laws to be expanded to include language specific to falsely created pornography without the explicit consent of all depicted persons. We also discuss the extent to which host websites are responsible for vetting the uploaded content on their platforms. Finally, we present a call for action on a societal and research level to deal with deepfakes and better support victims of deepfake pornography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychopathy is a constellation of distinct interpersonal (e.g., pathological lying), affective (e.g., lack of remorse), lifestyle (e.g., need for stimulation), and antisocial (e.g., poor behavioral controls) traits that contribute to a deceptive and exploitive personality profile. Current theoretical models attempting to explain the functional impairments and neural systems behind the behavioral profile of the disorder seem to converge on the idea of a fear deficit. The purpose of this essay was to investigate the positive relationship between psychopathy and fear deficits as well as the dysregulation of the limbic system in adults. Research shows that, in response to a threatening or fearful situation, psychopathy is associated with a reduced capacity to experience negative valence, diminished autonomic response, and difficulty in recognizing fear-related cues. In addition, psychopathy has also been implicated in abnormalities in the fear center of the brain, the limbic system. This includes structural, morphological, and functional alterations of limbic structures like the amygdala. Future research is needed to better explain the underlying causes of these brain abnormalities among psychopathic individuals and to investigate the contributing factors, whether innate or environmental, that lead to the development of the abnormal features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoking represents one of the greatest preventable causes of death globally, and pharmacological treatments of higher ef- ficacy targeting smoking cessation are necessary. Current drug interventions show only modest success rates and do not adequately address nicotine withdrawal-induced anxiety that is heavily implicated in relapse and failed quit attempts. The purpose of this paper is to highlight that nicotine dependence is at least partially maintained through the negative reinforcing effect of avoiding abstinence-induced anxiety. This paper presents findings which suggest that this effect is mediated by the activation of the Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF) system are presented and the implications of a therapeutic agent containing a CRF1 antagonistare discussed. Specifically, CRF1 blockers are highlighted as alternatives for individuals with multiple failed quit attempts because they target the abstinence-induced increased anxiety that seems to lie at the core of failed cessation attempts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]