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Antisocial behaviour by social media users has escalated, which in turn has created various socio-psychological implications for users and society at large. However, there is a paucity of empirical research on the concept of cyber aggression inclination (CAI) and its personal and situational antecedents in the context of social media. This study explores and measures the CAI of general social media users and examines the personal and situational factors affecting CAI. Data was collected using an online survey resulting in a sample of respondents who are active social media users. A total of 101 responses were received of which 71 were complete. Primary data was analysed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test eight hypotheses. Findings suggest perceived anonymity, impulsive use of social media and subjective norms are correlated with and CAI. We could not find any conclusive evidence to suggest a significant association exerted by prior aggression victimisation, social pressure, and perceived incident severity on CAI. This paper makes original contributions to the field of cyberpsychology where a more specific form of antisocial behaviour has been studied in social media settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Background: Adolescence is a period marked by biological, psychological and behavioral changes, which evoke intense emotional responses in teenagers. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between internalizing syndromes and morbid curiosity, and cyber aggression among adolescents. Methods: The study population included all male and female middle and high school students in District 3 of Tehran during the academic year 2021-2022. A statistical sample of 375 individuals was randomly selected through cluster sampling. The research utilized the cyber aggression scale for adolescents by Alvarez-Garcia cyber aggression scale for adolescents, the Achenbach and Edelbrock internalizing syndromes scale and the scrivener morbid curiosity scale. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software, version 26 and AMOS software, version 24. Results: The results showed a significant structural relationship between internalizing syndromes and cyber aggression, as well as between morbid curiosity and cyber aggression. However, internalizing syndromes and morbid curiosity accounted for only 4.8% of cyber aggression. Conclusion: These findings have implications for adolescent counseling, psychotherapy, education, training and correctional and rehabilitation centers.

Xiaofang Xu,1 Yang Li,2 Shuyuan Liu,2 Wenchao Wang2 1School of Education Science, Luoyang Normal University, Luoyang, 471934, People’s Republic of China; 2Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wenchao Wang, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +8601058801184, Email psychao@bnu.edu.cnPurpose: Bullying victimization is a serious issue among college students, which might affect the development of their social behaviors. Based on the theory of stress and coping and emotion regulation theory, the present study examined the mediating role of self-compassion and trauma-related shame between bullying victimization and cyber aggression/prosocial behavior.Patients and Methods: We gathered self-reporting data on bullying victimization, self-compassion, trauma-related shame, cyber aggression, and prosocial behavior from 634 college students in China using a three-wave longitudinal design survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test temporal mediation.Results: The results showed that bullying victimization predicted cyber aggression and prosocial behavior via trauma-related shame and the chain effect of self-compassion and trauma-related shame. Moreover, self-compassion also mediated the relationship between bullying victimization and prosocial behavior.Conclusion: The study revealed the different emotional processes that underlie both bullying victimization and different social behaviors. It also contributes to more effective prevention and intervention measures for the social adaptation of bullied students.Keywords: bullying victimization, self-compassion, trauma-related shame, cyber aggression, prosocial behavior, emotional mechanisms

Antisocial behaviour by social media users has escalated, which in turn has created various socio-psychological implications for users and society at large. However, there is a paucity of empirical research on the concept of cyber aggression inclination (CAI) and its personal and situational antecedents in the context of social media. This study explores and measures the CAI of general social media users and examines the personal and situational factors affecting CAI. Data was collected using an online survey resulting in a sample of respondents who are active social media users. A total of 101 responses were received of which 71 were complete. Primary data was analysed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to test eight hypotheses. Findings suggest perceived anonymity, impulsive use of social media and subjective norms are correlated with and CAI. We could not find any conclusive evidence to suggest a significant association exerted by prior aggression victimisation, social pressure, and perceived incident severity on CAI. This paper makes original contributions to the field of cyberpsychology where a more specific form of antisocial behaviour has been studied in social media settings.

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 pre-registered 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 face-to-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.

This study examines psychological and behavioral correlates of cyber and in-person intimate partner victimization (IP-IPV; psychological, physical, and sexual violence) including strain (i.e., depression and anger), substance use, and antisocial behavior among young adults. Because intimate partner cyber aggression victimization (C-IPV) has received less research attention than IP-IPV, it is important to learn whether such victimization experiences are similar to in-person victimization experiences in terms of their associations with maladaptive functioning or whether they comprise a unique form of IPV. The study also explores strain as a potential mediator of the link between IPV victimization and maladaptive behavior. A sample of undergraduate students aged 18-25 who were in intimate relationships during the past year participated in a voluntary and anonymous online survey (n = 540). Results signaled that C-IPV and IP-IPV shared similar correlates (e.g. depression, substance use, and antisocial behavior) and C-IPV was linked with more forms of maladaptive behavior than certain types of in-person IPV victimization (e.g., sexual and physical) experiences. Results indicated partial support for the predicted mediation. Males were also at higher risk for engaging in substance use and antisocial behavior across all models. The study suggests that harmful electronic exchanges may have adverse consequences for young adults. As such, services providers and educators addressing the issue of IPV should tailor prevention and intervention strategies in a way that is inclusive of cyber aggression and considers it a public health concern.

Background and Aim: The existing studies indicate that mobile phone phobia and the morbid habits associated with it cause negative and unfavorable physical and psychological consequences for the individual. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the training of order-seeking strategies of the excitement process on cyber-aggression and mobile phone phobia of students. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental research with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the research consisted of all undergraduate and higher students of Gorgan University in the academic year of 2001-2001. Among them, 30 people were selected as a sample of the study according to the available sampling method and according to the criteria for entering and leaving the study and randomly divided into two experimental groups (15 people) and the control group (15 people) were assigned in 10 90-minute sessions (2 sessions per week), the people of the experimental group received the educational program of emotion process regulation strategies as a group; The control group was placed on the waiting list for 2 months. In order to collect data, questionnaires of cyber aggression (Alvarez García et al., 2016) and nomophobia (Yıldırım & Correia, 2015) were used. To analyze the data, univariate and multivariate covariance tests were used. Results: The results of the research showed that there is a significant difference between the average post-test scores of the experimental and control groups in the variable of cyber aggression and its components (including impersonation, visual-sexual and verbal aggression) and the variable of Mobile phobia and its components (including loss of comfort and convenience, inability to communicate and loss of communication) were present (P

Abstract Self-compassion is negatively associated with aggressive behaviors. However, the association between self-compassion and cyber aggression toward stigmatized people (e.g., people infected with COVID-19) has not been investigated in the COVID-19 context and the mechanism underlying this association remains underexplored. On the basis of emotion regulation theory and attribution theory, this study examined the indirect effects of self-compassion on cyber aggression toward people infected with COVID-19 through attribution and public stigma of COVID-19. Data were collected from 1162 Chinese college students (415 male, mean age = 21.61 years). Participants completed an online questionnaire including measurement of the key variables and basic demographic information. Results indicated that self-compassion was negatively associated with cyber aggression through the lower attribution of COVID-19 and lower public stigma of COVID-19. A sequential pathway from the attribution of COVID-19 to public stigma of COVID-19 was identified in the relationship between self-compassion and cyber aggression. Our findings are consistent with emotion regulation theory and attribution theory, which posit that emotion regulation strategies are associated with interpersonal mistreatment through cognitive pathways. These findings suggest that emotional self-regulation strategies can be used to reduce cyber aggression toward stigmatized people by reducing attribution and public stigma in the COVID-19 context. Self-compassion improvement could be target for the interventions aiming at alleviating public stigma and interpersonal mistreatment toward stigmatized people.

More and more attention is being paid to the prevalence of technology in everyday life. The rise of digital means of communication naturally leads to increased cyber victimization, including various forms of online aggression and victimization. Limited knowledge exists regarding the potential vulnerability of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders to cyber activities. The objective of this research is to comprehensively review and synthesize existing literature on cybervictimization and cyberaggression, with a specific focus on individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly those with ADHD. We conducted a systematic review of studies investigating the relationship between neurodevelopmental disorders and cybervictimization/cyberaggression. An analysis of the reviewed studies suggests that factors such as impulsivity, heightened frustration, and poor social skills may elevate the risk of cybervictimization/cyberaggression among individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. Overall, we aim to emphasize the significance of future research in understanding the association between neurodevelopmental disorders and cybervictimization/cyberaggression, thereby enhancing our understanding of the risk factors and consequences associated with these detrimental phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jing Zhang,1,2 Jialei Gu,2 Wenchao Wang2 1Research Centre of Applied Technology University, Huanghuai University, Zhumadian, People’s Republic of China; 2Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Wenchao Wang, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 010 58801884, Email psychao@bnu.edu.cnIntroduction: Based on the general aggression model, the present study aims to examine the relationship between bullying victimization and cyber aggression as well as the mediating effects of perceived relative deprivation and depression on this relationship.Methods: The present study employed a 3-wave longitudinal method featuring 6-month intervals to investigate 795 Chinese college students (476 female; Mage = 19.67). Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the relationships among bullying victimization, perceived relative deprivation, depression and cyber aggression.Results: The results suggested that bullying victimization positively and significantly predicts cyber aggression in college students and that both perceived relative deprivation and depression play positive mediating roles in this relationship. Moreover, bullying victimization affects cyber aggression via the chain mediating roles of perceived relative deprivation and depression.Discussion: This study offers valuable insight into ways of considering perceived relative deprivation and depression in the context of prevention and intervention strategies to help attenuate cyber aggression among victims of bullying.Keywords: bullying victimization, perceived relative deprivation, depression, cyber aggression, college students

Self-compassion is negatively associated with aggressive behaviors. However, the association between self-compassion and cyber aggression toward stigmatized people (e.g., people infected with COVID-19) has not been investigated in the COVID-19 context and the mechanism underlying this association remains underexplored. On the basis of emotion regulation theory and attribution theory, this study examined the indirect effects of self-compassion on cyber aggression toward people infected with COVID-19 through attribution and public stigma of COVID-19. Data were collected from 1162 Chinese college students (415 male, mean age = 21.61 years). Participants completed an online questionnaire including measurement of the key variables and basic demographic information. Results indicated that self-compassion was negatively associated with cyber aggression through the lower attribution of COVID-19 and lower public stigma of COVID-19. A sequential pathway from the attribution of COVID-19 to public stigma of COVID-19 was identified in the relationship between self-compassion and cyber aggression. Our findings are consistent with emotion regulation theory and attribution theory, which posit that emotion regulation strategies are associated with interpersonal mistreatment through cognitive pathways. These findings suggest that emotional self-regulation strategies can be used to reduce cyber aggression toward stigmatized people by reducing attribution and public stigma in the COVID-19 context. Self-compassion improvement could be target for the interventions aiming at alleviating public stigma and interpersonal mistreatment toward stigmatized people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problems of (cyber)coexistence are increasingly present in the lives of our children and adolescents, so that using this technology ethically, consciously and positively has become a demand of education. Many schools face situations related to the improper and disrespectful use of cell phones and social networks, mainly involving students, but also educators and family members. Faced with this challenge, we propose the educational program "A Convivência Ética On-line", to be developed with students, which can inspire and guide educational and preventive actions by schools wishing to work with this issue. In this article we present the problems of coexistence that affect our students, such as cyberbullying, cyberaggression, virtual risks; and the main characteristics of the program for educators seeking to study and develop actions in search of ethical (cyber)coexistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to test students' cyber aggression models based on previous studies, especially those related to high school students' Cyber Aggression behavior. Following the stages of adolescent development, this research uses the socio-ecological theoretical perspective of the cyber context. This study determines several predictive variables as risk factors and protective factors that have the most potential to influence student cyber aggression, such as perceived threats, school climate, and prejudice. The model tested in this study is the role of the perceived threat and school climate on students' Cyber Aggression behavior mediated by prejudice. This study uses a quantitative approach with structural equation modeling analysis, namely the structural equation model (SEM). The sampling technique used in this study is purposive sampling. The subjects of this study are high school students who actively use social media every day, with 1118 students as respondents from several cities in Indonesia. The result shows that the theoretical model of students' Cyber Aggression behavior as per the empirical conditions in the field has met the goodness of fit model standard, meaning that the perception of threats and the school climate-mediated by prejudice were simultaneously proven to play a role as predictors of student Cyber Aggression [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with body shaming, which is a form of bullying behavior. This is a modern phenomenon in the 21st century, in which the communicator makes disrespectful comments about the physical appearance of the person in question or uses various forms of (cyber)bullying. Body shaming accompanied by cyber aggression is becoming more and more a part of online communication and is as dangerous and distressing for the victim as cyberbullying. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on its elimination. The aim of the present paper is to define the basic principles of body shaming, reactions to it and risks as well as to point out its negative impact and the importance of prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wenchao Wang, Yue Yuan, Xiaomeng Zhang, Chao Song Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Chao Song, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, No. 19 Xinjiekouwai Street, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 18810161767, Email songchao0010@163.comPurpose: Although the risk effect of perceived discrimination on left-behind youth’s mental health (mainly emotional problems) has been demonstrated in prior studies, there is a lack of longitudinal studies examining the effect of perceived discrimination on behavioral problems, particularly in emerging adults with early left-behind experience. In addition, little is known about individual differences in terms of this association. In the present study, we draw on the social information processing model of aggression to examine the effect of perceived discrimination and mindfulness on cyber aggression.Methods: We used two-wave longitudinal panel data involving 535 emerging adults with early left-behind experience in rural China (M age = 19.89 years; SD = 1.20; 57.2% female). To test the moderating role of mindfulness, hierarchical multiple regression and simple slope test analyses were performed.Results: The results of linear regression analysis demonstrated that higher levels of perceived discrimination at T1 were significantly associated with higher cyber aggression at T2; the strength of this association was buffered by mindfulness over time.Conclusion: These findings suggest that the facilitation of mindfulness training may be an effective strategy for reducing the risk of perceived discrimination leading to cyber aggression in emerging adults with early left-behind experience.Keywords: perceived discrimination, cyber aggression, mindfulness, emerging adults with early left-behind experience

Cyber aggression can be defined as a form of aggression where the perpetrator uses digital media to harm a person or group of people. The literature has linked aggression to personality and genetics. This study aimed to show the relationship between cyber aggression and personality and polymorphisms associated with aggression-related serotonergic and dopaminergic processes. The sample consisted of 93 individuals, 81 women (87.1%) and 12 males (12.9%) with a mean age of 20.95 (SD = 2.98), and it was collected as part of the research project “Aggressiveness and Genetics in a University Context”. The most important results indicate that cyber aggression and aggression are related to personality traits, especially agreeableness. An influence of genetic variables was not found.

The results of monitoring activities to prevent aggressive behavior of students in state schools of various regions of the Russian Federation are presented. The purpose of the monitoring was to gather information on topical issues related to aggressive behavior and the system of preventive measures. The study was attended by heads of 81 schools from 40 Russian regions. The research tool was a questionnaire developed by the authors, consisting of 137 questions. The survey was conducted in 2021. The results of the study showed that the problem of aggression among students, manifested in various forms – verbal, physical, social, cyber aggression, including conflicts and bullying, as well as autoaggressive behavior, is of high relevance. In addition, the data show that there is a lack of systematics in the preventive activities implemented in schools, both in the field of the forms of work used, and in the choice of the target audience, the number of specialists involved. Based on the results, a research and application approach is proposed to support and develop systemic prevention work in schools.

Among the most acute socio-pedagogical problems facing the modern Russian school is the increasing number of aggressive manifestations in the educational environment. This situation actualizes the schools need for the prevention and correction of aggressive behavior. The article presents the results of a socio-pedagogical research, the purpose of which was to identify the types and forms of aggressive behavior in the educational environment and to explore the current state of preventive work. The study was conducted by the Institute for the Study of Childhood, Family and Upbringing in July 2021 in the form of a questionnaire survey of directors of educational organizations. The methodology of the research included a socio-pedagogical analysis of situations of aggressive manifestations among students, teachers and parents; study of social, environmental, family and personal factors of aggressive behavior; and identification of mechanisms for preventing aggressive behavior in the educational environment. The results are presented in the format of socio-psychological portraits of three schools located in the countryside, which are prominent representatives of Russian rural society. The study made it possible to draw the following main conclusions: (1) preventive work becomes an independent type of pedagogical work; (2) cyber-aggression, which was actively manifested during the period of distance learning and now requires comprehensive preventive work with students, teachers, and parents, is an over-pressing problem for educational organizations; (3) todays school is faced with the urgent task of developing and implementing programs for the prevention and correction of aggressive behavior. The ideas presented in the article can be used in the practice of educational organizations of different types.

Peer aggression, when escalated and regular, has negative consequences for proper psychosocial development. The main aim of this study was to identify classes among middle school students according to similarity in terms of experiencing particular forms and manifestations of peer aggression. Data were collected using a proprietary questionnaire, from which 10 questions forming indicators of experienced aggression (five forms, two manifestations each) were used for analysis. A total of 1.050 middle school students (525 boys and girls each) aged 13 and 14 participated in the study. The students most often experienced verbal and relational aggression, and least often sexual aggression. Boys were more likely to report experiencing physical and verbal aggression (being insulted), while girls reported being the target of gossip and cyber aggression (offensive comments). Using Latent Class Analysis, we analyzed a model with six classes as follows: Low all, High verbal and relational, High physical and verbal, High all without sexual, High all and High sexual, cyber and relational. The results show that the phenomenon of peer aggression is not homogeneous and that the design of preventive measures should take into account the specificity of the experiences of its victims.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of online learning has become a necessary choice for students, and would increase the probability of cyber aggression (CA). Despite the relationship between Dark Triad and CA previous was explored in previous research, the underlying psychological mechanism of CA in adolescents is still unclear. The current study aimed to examine the mediating role of moral disengagement (MD) and the moderating of gender in the relationship between Dark Triad and CA. A sample consists of 501 Chinese adolescents (246 females; 255 males) between the ages of 11 ~ 20. Participants completed the Dirty Dozen Scale, Moral Disengagement Scale, and Cyber Aggressive Behavior Scale. Results show that higher levels of dark personality were associated with higher levels of MD and CA. Moral disengagement partially mediated this positive effects of dark personality on CA. Moreover, gender moderated the mediation model. Specially, the positive relationship between dark triad personality and CA was stronger among females adolescents. These findings advance the understanding of how dark triad personality induces Chinese adolescents’ cyber aggressive behavior.

Adolescents of Bangladesh today are facing significantly higher rates of stressors with differing severity and frequency of anxiety, depression, internalizing, and externalizing problems to mention a few (cited in Mullick et al., 2019). Many of them use cyberspace where their limited capacity for emotion regulation may put them at the risk of cyber aggression as well as cyber victimization. However, the true dynamics of the relationship between cyber aggression, cyber victimization, and emotion regulation are largely unknown. The present study is therefore undertaken to address the issue by testing the effect of two components of emotion regulation on the relationship between cyber victimization and cyber aggression. A questionnaire package including Bangla translated versions of Cyber-Victimization Questionnaire for Adolescents (CYVIC), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Cyber-Aggression Questionnaire for Adolescents (CYBA), and Personal Information Form (PIF) was administered to a purposive-convenience sample of 250 high school students (48% boys and 52% girls). The students were between the ages of 11 through 17 years with a mean age of 14.77 years (SD = 1.41). Independent sample t-tests revealed significant gender differences in all major variables; hence subsequent analyses were conducted on subsamples of boys and girls. Pearson product-moment correlation showed a significant association between key variables where the association of expressive suppression with cyber victimization and cyber aggression was negative for girls and positive for boys. Hierarchical regression analyses manifested buffering effect of both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression weakening the relationship between cyber victimization and cyber aggression for girls. A similar pattern was observed for boys where cognitive reappraisal only weakened the relationship between cyber victimization and cyber aggression but not for expressive suppression in boys. The findings have been interpreted in the light of past studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet has given rise to many new communication tools (e.g., social media, text messaging), which, while beneficial in many respects, have become a means for aggressing against others. As evidence of the adverse correlates of cyber aggression mounts, improved understanding of the mechanisms that facilitate electronic aggression is needed. Moral disengagement (i.e., cognitive processes through which individuals disengage from their moral values) has been shown to predict cyber aggression when assessed as a unitary construct. The present study investigated the eight moral disengagement mechanisms measured by the Moral Disengagement Measure (Detert et al., 2008) and their relationships to four types of cyber aggression perpetration assessed with the Cyberbullying Experiences Survey (i.e., malice, public humiliation, deception, and unwanted contact; Doane et al., 2013). Emerging adults (N = 404, 58.67% women) aged 18 to 29 (M = 25.16, SD = 2.76) recruited through Amazon.com’s MTurk website completed measures online, and data were analyzed via path analysis. Each type of cyber aggression perpetration was predicted by different moral disengagement mechanisms. Advantageous comparison and dehumanization were the strongest predictors, and dehumanization was the only mechanism to predict all forms of cyber aggression. These findings provide support for the role of these mechanisms in cyber aggression and suggest that examining moral disengagement mechanisms individually may help to improve our understanding of cyber aggression among emerging adults. Further clinical and research implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents of Bangladesh today are facing significantly higher rates of stressors with differing severity and frequency of anxiety, depression, internalizing, and externalizing problems to mention a few (cited in Mullick et al., 2019). Many of them use cyberspace where their limited capacity for emotion regulation may put them at the risk of cyber aggression as well as cyber victimization. However, the true dynamics of the relationship between cyber aggression, cyber victimization, and emotion regulation are largely unknown. The present study is therefore undertaken to address the issue by testing the effect of two components of emotion regulation on the relationship between cyber victimization and cyber aggression. A questionnaire package including Bangla translated versions of Cyber-Victimization Questionnaire for Adolescents (CYVIC), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Cyber-Aggression Questionnaire for Adolescents (CYBA), and Personal Information Form (PIF) was administered to a purposive-convenience sample of 250 high school students (48% boys and 52% girls). The students were between the ages of 11 through 17 years with a mean age of 14.77 years (SD = 1.41). Independent sample t-tests revealed significant gender differences in all major variables; hence subsequent analyses were conducted on subsamples of boys and girls. Pearson product-moment correlation showed a significant association between key variables where the association of expressive suppression with cyber victimization and cyber aggression was negative for girls and positive for boys. Hierarchical regression analyses manifested buffering effect of both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression weakening the relationship between cyber victimization and cyber aggression for girls. A similar pattern was observed for boys where cognitive reappraisal only weakened the relationship between cyber victimization and cyber aggression but not for expressive suppression in boys. The findings have been interpreted in the light of past studies.

The Internet has given rise to many new communication tools (e.g., social media, text messaging), which, while beneficial in many respects, have become a means for aggressing against others. As evidence of the adverse correlates of cyber aggression mounts, improved understanding of the mechanisms that facilitate electronic aggression is needed. Moral disengagement (i.e., cognitive processes through which individuals disengage from their moral values) has been shown to predict cyber aggression when assessed as a unitary construct. The present study investigated the eight moral disengagement mechanisms measured by the Moral Disengagement Measure (Detert et al., 2008) and their relationships to four types of cyber aggression perpetration assessed with the Cyberbullying Experiences Survey (i.e., malice, public humiliation, deception, and unwanted contact; Doane et al., 2013). Emerging adults (N = 404, 58.67% women) aged 18 to 29 (M = 25.16, SD = 2.76) recruited through Amazon.com’s MTurk website completed measures online, and data were analyzed via path analysis. Each type of cyber aggression perpetration was predicted by different moral disengagement mechanisms. Advantageous comparison and dehumanization were the strongest predictors, and dehumanization was the only mechanism to predict all forms of cyber aggression. These findings provide support for the role of these mechanisms in cyber aggression and suggest that examining moral disengagement mechanisms individually may help to improve our understanding of cyber aggression among emerging adults. Further clinical and research implications are discussed.

Background. The research data indicate the magnitude and significance of the problem of cyberbullying (CB) that cannot be ignored, since a large enough number of children are aggressively targeted online and are often at significant risk if both school bullying and CB take place simultaneously. The novelty of the research consists in an integrated approach to the CB analysis, as one of the cyber aggression types, taking into account its differences from real-life bullying, based on large-scale foreign national and intercultural studies, which can be compared both at the theoretical and methodological level and on the basis of empirical data. Objective. The analysis of the existing theoretical and practical studies of the CB features and mechanisms in the child-adolescent environment has been carried out within the framework of developmental psychology and social psychology over the recent two decades. Design. The paper analyzes the features and transformations of the CB role structure in comparison with the bullying in real life, personal characteristics and behavioural strategies of participants (the aggressor, the victim, the chameleon, the observer/witness), considers child-parent relationship in the CB situation and coping strategy with CB. Findings. The results presented in this review can be used as a basis for further theoretical and empirical research, and also for developing practical programs aimed at supporting victims of CB, reducing the probability of such situations, for timely prevention of CBs, for diagnosing risk groups, and to prepare recommendations for psychologists, teachers and parents in schools and other educational institutions. Conclusion The CB research topic is acute in connection with the constant development of information and communication technologies (ICT) and requires further study in terms of process in terms of dynamics and development. In order to develop effective prevention and intervention programs it is necessary to develop a common theoretical and methodological framework that will support terminological consensus among researchers and international research. This will allow for reliable comparisons and systematization of empirical data, as well as the development of online risk management and safe use of ICTs.

This exploratory study aims to broaden students' models of cyber-aggression behavior, with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) by including additional constructs, namely cyber health, to predict youth cyber-aggression actions. The self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 291 students intentionally, aged 15 to 21 at secondary schools in the city of Padang in Indonesia, and then analyzed using covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM). Data analysis was performed using WarpPLS software version 4.0. Structural equation modeling is used to test whether the overall model theory of planned behavior (TPB) helps predict self-reported actions by adolescents in cyber aggression. We found a strong positive relationship between adolescent attitudes towards cyber aggression and their behavioral intentions to do so, followed by perceived behavioral control variables which were also significant although relatively less important predictors of adolescent intentions for cyber aggression, while subjective norms were not significant in determining adolescent intentions for cyber aggression. Meanwhile, cyber wellness, which is predicted as a moderator variable in the development of the model, is not proven and has the same status as other exogenous variables. Overall, this study provides strong support for the theoretical utility of TPB in the research of students of cyber aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyberbullying has become prevalent in social media communication. To create a safe space for cyber communication, an effective cyberbullying detection method is needed. This study focuses on using combination of textual features to detect cyberbullying across social media platforms. Lexicon enhanced rule-based method was applied to detect cyberbullying on Facebook comments. The resulting algorithm was evaluated using performance measures of accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 Score, and showed promising performance with average recall of 95.981%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines psychological and behavioral correlates of cyber and in-person intimate partner victimization (IP-IPV; psychological, physical, and sexual violence) including strain (i.e., depression and anger), substance use, and antisocial behavior among young adults. Because intimate partner cyber aggression victimization (C-IPV) has received less research attention than IP-IPV, it is important to learn whether such victimization experiences are similar to in-person victimization experiences in terms of their associations with maladaptive functioning or whether they comprise a unique form of IPV. The study also explores strain as a potential mediator of the link between IPV victimization and maladaptive behavior. A sample of undergraduate students aged 18-25 who were in intimate relationships during the past year participated in a voluntary and anonymous online survey (n = 540). Results signaled that C-IPV and IP-IPV shared similar correlates (e.g. depression, substance use, and antisocial behavior) and C-IPV was linked with more forms of maladaptive behavior than certain types of in-person IPV victimization (e.g., sexual and physical) experiences. Results indicated partial support for the predicted mediation. Males were also at higher risk for engaging in substance use and antisocial behavior across all models. The study suggests that harmful electronic exchanges may have adverse consequences for young adults. As such, services providers and educators addressing the issue of IPV should tailor prevention and intervention strategies in a way that is inclusive of cyber aggression and considers it a public health concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether bystanders in cyberbullying help a victim or remain passive is based on multilayered cognitive processes. In particular, perceiving and interpreting an incident as an emergency situation, realizing one’s own responsibility to intervene, and forming the intention to help are crucial preconditions for bystander interventions. The characteristics of information and communication technologies (ICTs) change and hamper these cognitive processes. Information and cues that guide individuals’ reactions to offline victimization are missing in many online environments (e.g., seeing a victim’s suffering). By applying a scenario-based experiment (n = 240; 62% female; Mage = 21.3), we investigate how cyberbullying incidents with differing degrees of severity (insults only vs. insults and threats) affect bystanders’ perception of the incident, their tendency to blame the victim, and finally their reactions to cyber victimization (i.e., willingness to help). Our results showed that participants evaluated an incident that included threats and insults (as compared to insults only) as more severe; this in turn was related to a higher willingness to help the victim. In contrast, a seemingly less severe incident (containing insults only) fostered participants’ tendency to ascribe (at least partial) blame for the incident to the victim. This victim blaming correlated with a lower tendency to support the victim. In conclusion, victims of seemingly less serious incidents in particular are at risk of experiencing prolonged suffering because bystanders fail to identify the emergency character of the situation and refuse to help.

By resorting to research techniques such as the content analysis technique, the documentary analysis and the case studies, the scientific research results presented in this article bring to the attention of the specialists novelty elements about the center of gravity of the hybrid threats, through a comprehensive and immersive approach to the current challenges to the international security environment. The tactics of special operations forces (which are characteristic to states) and irregular forces such as non-state paramilitary forces are treated: insurgents, guerrillas, terrorist groups, mercenaries, private military companies, cross-border criminal organisations, but also other unconventional means: psychological operations, informational operations and cyber aggressions. All of these are treated as structural elements of hybrid threats. Essentially, in order to prevent or control national security risks posed by hybrid threats, the place and role of unconventional operational elements within these types of emerging threats must be understood. The scientific research in this field requires that the Romanian army is synchronised with the new evolutions of the contemporary war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread of modern technologies and social media networks, a new form of bullying occurring anytime and anywhere has emerged. This new phenomenon, known as cyberaggression or cyberbullying, refers to aggressive and intentional acts aiming at repeatedly causing harm to other person involving rude, insulting, offensive, teasing or demoralising comments through online social media. As these aggressions represent a threatening experience to Internet users, especially kids and teens who are still shaping their identities, social relations and well-being, it is crucial to understand how cyberbullying occurs to prevent it from escalating. Considering the massive information on the Web, the developing of intelligent techniques for automatically detecting harmful content is gaining importance, allowing the monitoring of large-scale social media and the early detection of unwanted and aggressive situations. Even though several approaches have been developed over the last few years based both on traditional and deep learning techniques, several concerns arise over the duplication of research and the difficulty of comparing results. Moreover, there is no agreement regarding neither which type of technique is better suited for the task, nor the type of features in which learning should be based. The goal of this work is to shed some light on the effects of learning paradigms and feature engineering approaches for detecting aggressions in social media texts. In this context, this work provides an evaluation of diverse traditional and deep learning techniques based on diverse sets of features, across multiple social media sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether bystanders in cyberbullying help a victim or remain passive is based on multilayered cognitive processes. In particular, perceiving and interpreting an incident as an emergency situation, realizing one's own responsibility to intervene, and forming the intention to help are crucial preconditions for bystander interventions. The characteristics of information and communication technologies (ICTs) change and hamper these cognitive processes. Information and cues that guide individuals' reactions to offline victimization are missing in many online environments (e.g., seeing a victim's suffering). By applying a scenario-based experiment (n = 240; 62% female; Mage = 21.3), we investigate how cyberbullying incidents with differing degrees of severity (insults only vs. insults and threats) affect bystanders' perception of the incident, their tendency to blame the victim, and finally their reactions to cyber victimization (i.e., willingness to help). Our results showed that participants evaluated an incident that included threats and insults (as compared to insults only) as more severe; this in turn was related to a higher willingness to help the victim. In contrast, a seemingly less severe incident (containing insults only) fostered participants' tendency to ascribe (at least partial) blame for the incident to the victim. This victim blaming correlated with a lower tendency to support the victim. In conclusion, victims of seemingly less serious incidents in particular are at risk of experiencing prolonged suffering because bystanders fail to identify the emergency character of the situation and refuse to help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant advancements have been made in cyber aggression literature, with many studies revealing the consequences associated with adolescents’ involvement in these behaviors. Few studies have focused on cyber aggression involvement in China, India, and Japan. The present study examined differences in cyber aggression perpetration and victimization among 1637 adolescents living in China, India, and Japan, while controlling for face-to-face bullying involvement, individualism, and collectivism. Another aim of the present study was to examine country of origin and cyber aggression involvement (i.e., the uninvolved, cyberaggressor-cybervictims, cyberaggressors, and cybervictims) differences in peer attachment. Findings revealed that adolescents from India had the highest levels of cyber aggression involvement when compared to adolescents from China or Japan. Chinese adolescents engaged in more cyber aggression perpetration and were victimized more by cyber aggression when compared to Japanese adolescents. No country of origin differences were found for peer attachment. However, uninvolved adolescents reported higher levels of peer attachment when compared to the other groups. Cyberaggressor-cybervictims had the lowest levels of peer attachment, followed by cybervictims and cyberaggressors. These results suggest that there should be concern about cyber aggression involvement among adolescents in these countries, especially in India, where cyber aggression research has been slow to develop.

Due to the ongoing debate regarding the definitions and measurement of cyberbullying, the present article critically appraises the existing literature and offers direction regarding the question of how best to conceptualise peer-to-peer abuse in a cyber context. Variations across definitions are problematic as it has been argued that inconsistencies with regard to definitions result in researchers examining different phenomena, whilst the absence of an agreed conceptualisation of the behaviour(s) involved hinders the development of reliable and valid measures. Existing definitions of cyberbullying often incorporate the criteria of traditional bullying such as intent to harm, repetition, and imbalance of power. However, due to the unique nature of cyber-based communication, it can be difficult to identify such criteria in relation to cyber-based abuse. Thus, for these reasons cyberbullying may not be the most appropriate term. Rather than attempting to “shoe-horn” this abusive behaviour into the preconceived conceptual framework that provides an understanding of traditional bullying, it is timely to take an alternative approach. We argue that it is now time to turn our attention to the broader issue of cyber aggression, rather than persist with the narrow focus that is cyberbullying.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the buffering effect of parental mediation of technology use and social support from parents on the association between cyber victimization and depression, assessed over one year. Participants were 113 7th through 9th graders from the Midwestern United States (age ranged from 12 to 17 years old; 86% were male) who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. They completed questionnaires on their perceptions of parental mediation of technology use, perceived social support from parents, and self-reported face-to-face and cyber victimization and depression at Wave 1. One year later, at Wave 2, they completed a questionnaire on their depression. Results indicated that the associations between cyber victimization and depression were more negative at higher levels of perceived parental technology mediation and social support, while these associations were more negative at lower levels of these variables, after controlling for face-to-face victimization and Wave 1 depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines adolescents’ experiences with, and perspectives about, parental regulation of internet-based peer socialization including cyber aggression. Adolescents (N = 110) were surveyed about technology use, electronic device ownership, and the extent to which parents place restrictions on, and/or monitor, their cyber behavior. Adolescents were also asked about their experiences with parental regulation of cyber aggression, and these responses were compared to experiences with other forms of aggressive behavior (relational and overt). Perceptions of legitimacy of parental authority were also compared for online and offline aggression, and for acts typically considered to be within the personal domain. Adolescents believed their online behavior to be primarily unrestricted by parents. Parental regulation of cyber aggression was less prevalent than parental regulation of overt aggression, but greater than parental regulation of relational aggression. Adolescents believed regulation of cyber aggression to be more acceptable than regulation of relational aggression and personal domain behavior.