Search

The current study attempted to explore the possible temporal direction of the relationship between sleep problems and non-physical bullying perpetration as well as non-physical bullying victimization among adolescents.The study used a longitudinal panel survey design with a 6-month interval.A cluster random sampling method was conducted to recruit students from junior high schools in Northern Taiwan.Eight hundred twenty-two students (46.6% were boys) completed a survey at 2 waves.Adolescents reported their sleep problems, non-physical bullying perpetration, and non-physical bullying victimization in both waves.The results from cross-lagged panel models revealed that sleep problems at time 1 significantly predicted non-physical bullying victimization at time 2, but not in the opposite direction. In addition, non-physical bullying perpetration at time 1 significantly predicted sleep problems at time 2, but not in the opposite direction. No significant differences emerged between male and female adolescents in the cross-lagged model of sleep problems with non-physical bullying perpetration and non-physical bullying victimization.This study advances the literature by revealing that sleep problems may be a consequence, not a precursor, of adolescent non-physical bullying perpetration and a precursor, not a consequence, of non-physical bullying victimization. Intervention programs aimed at preventing adolescents from being non-physically bullied may consider improving their sleep quality. Reducing adolescents' non-physical bullying perpetration may also improve sleep quality along the way.

Background and aimsInternet use has become an important part of daily living. However, for a minority it may become problematic. Moreover, problematic use of the Internet/smartphone (PUIS) has been associated with low physical activity. The present study investigated the temporal associations between three types of PUIS (i.e., problematic smartphone use [PSPU], problematic social media use [PSMU] and problematic gaming [PG]) and physical activity among Taiwanese university students.MethodsA six-month longitudinal survey study comprising three time points for assessments was conducted. From the original 974 participants, a total of 452 completed all three waves of an online survey comprising the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-SF) assessing physical activity level, Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale (SABAS) assessing PSPU, Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS) assessing PSMU, and Internet Gaming Disorder Short Form (IGDS9-SF) assessing PG.ResultsThe linear mixed effects model found positive temporal associations of PSMU and PG with physical activity level (PSMU: B = 85.88, SE = 26.24; P = 0.001; PG: B = 36.81, SE = 15.17; P = 0.02). PSPU was not associated with physical activity level (B = 40.54, SE = 22.99; P = 0.08). Additionally, the prevalence rates were 44.4% for at-risk/PSPU, 24.6% for at-risk/PSMU, and 12.3% for at-risk/PG.Discussion and ConclusionsPSMU and PG unexpectedly demonstrated correlations with higher physical activity level. The nature of these relationships warrants additional investigation into the underlying mechanisms in order to promote healthy lifestyles among university students.

Previous research has suggested that psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, and somatization) is associated with student victimization by teachers. The direction and causality of this relationship have not yet been empirically supported. This study examined longitudinal associations between adolescent psychological distress (anxiety, depression, and somatization) and student victimization by teachers among 419 adolescents in grades 7–9 of secondary schools in Hong Kong. A self-administered questionnaire was conducted to collect student self-reported information about their experiences of victimization by teachers and their psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and somatization, at two time points separated by a 9-month interval. A cross-lagged panel analysis provided evidence for the contribution of depression, anxiety, and somatization to later victimization by teachers. These findings were also relevant for male and female adolescents. The findings suggest that psychological distress, such as depression, anxiety, and somatization, is a risk factor predicting student victimization by teachers rather than the consequences of exposure to teacher violence. The results support the importance of reducing adolescent depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms in future intervention programs to prevent them from being victimized by teachers.

While a link between co-parenting conflict and academic performance is frequently assumed, studies on this association have shown inconsistent results. In addition, academic engagement and depression can potentially mediate the association between co-parenting conflict and academic performance. However, studies have not tested this proposition. This paper examined the direct effect of co-parenting conflict on adolescent academic performance and the mediating effect of academic engagement and depression. Using data from a nationally representative survey, the 2020 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we constructed a sample of 1989 dyads of adolescents (aged 10 to 15) and their primary caregivers in China. The structural equation model analysis revealed that co-parenting conflict was not directly linked with academic performance but was indirectly associated with adolescent academic performance through academic engagement and depression. The findings provide empirical support that academic engagement and depression play important mediating roles in the relationship between co-parenting conflict and adolescent academic performance. Future intervention programs aimed at promoting adolescent academic performance may consider a family-oriented approach to identify adolescents from families with co-parenting conflict and provide them with professional support.

The paper examined the mediating effect of child deprivation on the associations between family poverty (i.e., relative poverty and household deprivation), bullying victimization, and psychological distress in an Asian/Chinese society (Hong Kong), and further examined sex differences in the interrelationships of family poverty, child deprivation, bullying victimization, and psychological distress. Data were collected from a random sample of 792 children and their adults living in the same households. The structural equation modeling analysis showed that family poverty did not predict bullying victimization and psychological distress directly but influenced both bullying victimization and psychological distress indirectly through child deprivation. No sex differences were found in the interrelationships between variables in the model. Our findings provide empirical support that child deprivation may play a crucial mediating role in the relationship between family poverty and its negative outcomes on children. This study also provides empirical evidence supporting that reducing child deprivation may effectively prevent the negative effects of family poverty on children's behavioral and psychological health.

Purpose The current study explores which types of delinquent activities bullies, victims, and bully/victims are most at risk of from a sample of urban African American adolescents. Design and methods The research design was cross-sectional, which includes a sample of low-income African American adolescents in Chicago's Southside. The study participants included 523 adolescents. Descriptive statistics, latent class analysis, and logistic regression analysis were conducted. Results Bullies, victims, and bully/victims are all at a heightened risk of theft, threatening behavior, and assaultive behavior. Irrespective of bullying status, delinquency is a serious problem for urban adolescents who are bullies, victims, or bully/victims. Conclusions Investigating the types of delinquent activities bullies, victims, and bully/victims are most likely to be involved in is important. Implications for practice Evidence-based treatment plans require assessment tools that are tailored for urban African American adolescents. Nurses are advised to consider interventions that promote resilience.

Although previous research has indicated an association between school engagement and adolescent victimization, its causal direction has not been determined, particularly in Chinese and East Asian cultural contexts. This study used a longitudinal panel data to explore the likely causal direction between school engagement and adolescent victimization in the context of school and cyberspace. Three hundred fifty-six students and their homeroom teachers in lower secondary school (Grades 7–9) in Hong Kong participated in a 2-wave panel study with a 9-month time interval. Students provided self-report information on their experiences with school violence and cyberbullying, and their homeroom teachers assessed their students’ engagement in school. The results of latent variables and autoregressive cross-lagged panel analysis suggested that school engagement at wave 1 was a significant predictor of school victimization at wave 2, but school victimization at wave 1 did not predict school engagement at wave 2. Similarly, school engagement at wave 1 was a significant predictor of cyberbullying victimization at wave 2, but school victimization at wave 1 did not predict school engagement at wave 2. These findings were also relevant for both sexes. The findings demonstrated that school engagement could be a protective factor against adolescent exposure to violence in school and cyberspace in Hong Kong. The findings informed school practitioners in Hong Kong that increasing student engagement in school could be a key strategy to reduce students’ risk of being bullied in school and cyberspace.

While there is a strong assumption of a direct link between family climate and school bullying victimization, studies on such a direct link have shown inconsistent results. Furthermore, family climate and children’s social relationships with teachers and peers at school have been considered potential protective factors against school bullying victimization among adolescents. However, not much is known about how these factors function as protectors against school bullying victimization among children early in middle childhood. Studies examining how these protective factors work together to reduce school bullying victimization are also lacking. This paper attempts to fill the gap by studying how children’s social relationships with peers and teachers at school mediate the association of family climate with school bullying victimization among children in the early period of their middle childhood in Taiwan. It also examines how sex influences the mediating effects and interrelationships among family climate, children’s school social relationships at school, and school bullying victimization. Data were obtained from a nationally representative sample of 1230 third graders (about 8 years old) in Taiwan. The results showed that family climate had a nonsignificant direct link with school bullying victimization, but a significant indirect link with school bullying victimization mediated through relationships with peers and teachers. These findings are relevant for both sexes. Findings provide empirical support that family climate has an indirect link with school bullying victimization through relationships with teachers and peers. The study indicated that to reduce school bullying victimization among those who are early in middle childhood, potential intervention programs may consider promoting students’ relationships with teachers and peers.

This paper examines how social support mediates the association between sexual orientation victimization and depression among lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths in an Asian context (i.e., Hong Kong)...

Using cross-societal probability data consisting of 2582 adolescents from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Taiwan, this research investigated the prevalence or rates of cyberbullying and explored the...

This paper examines a theoretical model of how perceived parental, teacher, and peer support in adolescence mediate the pathway from cybervictimisation to psychological distress and further examine...

The current study aims to examine prosodic sensitivity in Chinese children with dyslexia and its relation to Chinese reading in children with and without dyslexia. A total of 172 Chinese children from third grade to sixth grade in Taiwanese primary schools were recruited. Thirty (14 male) children were identified as having dyslexia, and the remaining children (N = 142; 67 male) were typically developing children matched with those with dyslexia as carefully as possible with respect to school, grade, and gender. Our results indicated that group differences were found for all three types of prosodic sensitivity. Moderation analyses showed that group had no significant interaction with prosodic sensitivity in predicting Chinese reading, so the participants in the two groups were combined in the following analyses. The results of the stepwise regression analyses showed that only lexical tone awareness could significantly predict Chinese character reading after controlling for phonological awareness, while only intonation awareness could significantly predict reading comprehension after controlling for Chinese character reading. The results provide preliminary evidence on the issue of prosodic sensitivity in Chinese children with dyslexia and its role in Chinese reading, which might provide a novel approach to the teaching of Chinese languages.

Most previous studies have attempted to explore how different personal, familial, or school factors are linked to academic stress in Western countries. However, relatively less research has incorporated these different factors into one model to examine the most crucial correlate(s) that predict academic stress, particularly in the East Asian context, where the level of academic stress among adolescents is high. This study examined how perfectionism, social-oriented achievement motivation, parental aspiration for achievement, parent–child relationship, emphasis on academics in school, and school climate work together to predict academic stress in Hong Kong. One thousand eight hundred and four students from eight secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in this study. The results indicate that perfectionism, social-oriented achievement motivation, parent–child relationships, and emphasis on academics in school have significant associations with academic stress, while perfectionism and social-oriented achievement motivation, the two factors from the personal domain, are the dominant drivers of academic stress. In addition, these findings applied to both genders. As the significant correlates come from the personal, familial, and school domains, this study recommends multilevel interventions for decreasing the level of academic stress. In addition, this study also suggests further research directions to examine the psychosocial mechanism between the correlates and academic stress.

Despite a hypothesized link between family conflict and school bullying perpetration, previous findings on the direct association have been inconsistent. It has been argued that affiliation with delinquent peers may be a potential psychosocial mechanism mediating the relationships between family conflict and school perpetration. However, such a proposition has not been examined employing longitudinal panel data. Using longitudinal panel data (two waves with a 9-month interval) from Hong Kong collected from 424 lower secondary students (grades 7–9), this study examined how affiliation with delinquent peers mediates the relationships between family conflict and adolescent school perpetration. The results of the half-longitudinal mediation model indicated no significant link between family conflict at T1 and school bullying perpetration at T2. However, family conflict at T1 was indirectly linked to school bullying perpetration at T2 through affiliation with delinquent peers. The findings imply that affiliation with delinquent peers mediates the association between family conflict and adolescent school bullying perpetration. The findings provide insights into the future development of policies and interventions to reduce school bullying perpetration.

Although the associations between adolescent psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and somatization), school violence, and cyberbullying have been examined using cross-sectional data, little evidence from longitudinal panel data exists to determine the temporal association. A two-wave longitudinal panel data with a 10-month interval were obtained from a random sample of 487 Chinese junior high school students (grades 7–9) in Tianjin in Mainland China. The cross-lagged panel analysis showed that adolescent psychological distress in the first wave of the survey was significantly associated with subsequent school violence against peers and teachers in the second wave but not in the opposite direction. Student psychological distress in the first wave of the survey was not significantly associated with cyberbullying perpetration in the second wave and vice versa. The findings suggested that adolescent psychological distress was a risk factor rather than the consequence of violence against peers and teachers in school. However, the temporal associations between adolescent psychological distress and cyberbullying perpetration were non-significant. These findings were relevant to both sex groups. The findings may imply that potential interventions and policies to prevent students from committing school violence should consider reducing students’ psychological distress as one of the core elements.

School victimization among children and youth is a global public health issue that has long-term adverse effects on the victims’ mental health and behavioral development. Theories and research suggest that emotional intelligence may operate as a buffer against school bullying victimization. However, the strength of the association between emotional intelligence and bullying victimization is controversial. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the exact association between Emotional intelligence and school bullying victimization. We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest Dissertations, Google Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) from inception to March 2022 for relevant studies that examine the association between emotional intelligence and school bullying victimization without a language limit. Twenty-four articles were included in our meta-analysis (n = 27,438). There was a small, negative, and significant association between emotional intelligence and school victimization among children and youth students. Sex and emotional intelligence measurement tools were variables that significantly moderated the link between emotional intelligence and bullying victimization. The findings indicated that improving students’ emotional intelligence could be a crucial strategy to lower the students’ risk of being bullied in school and online. It would be more effective among male students.

Several studies have linked the problematic use of the Internet (PUI) to psychological distress. Youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are considered a particular disadvantaged population with a high risk of developing PUI, psychological distress, and self-stigma. Nonetheless, the interrelationships of PUI, self-stigma, and psychological distress in adolescents with ADHD are not well understood.This study investigated whether self-stigma mediates relationships between different forms of PUI, such as problematic gaming (PG), problematic social media use (PSMU), problematic smartphone use (PSPU), and psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress), in children with ADHD.We recruited 100 youth with ADHD (mean age=10.80 [SD=3.07] years; 84 boys) from psychiatric outpatient clinics in Taiwan. All participants were assessed for PUI (via Internet Gaming Disorder-Short Form for PG, Bergan Social Medica Addiction Scale for PSMU, and Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale for PSPU), self-stigma (via Self-Stigma Short-Scale), and psychological distress (via Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale).The results of path and bootstrapping analyses indicated that self-stigma mediated the associations between PSMU and PSPU, but not PG, and depression, anxiety, and stress.This study expands the extant literature by revealing that self-stigma mediates the association between specific forms of PUI and psychological distress in adolescents with ADHD. Interventions aimed at reducing self-stigma and PUI, particularly PSMU and PSPU, may help decrease psychological distress among adolescents with ADHD.

This cross-sectional study aims to examine the age differences in state anxiety (i.e., anxiety triggered toward specific situations) as well as its relationship to the reading comprehension of Chinese students with and without dyslexia across school ages. In total, 131 typically developing students and 81 students with dyslexia in primary and secondary school were recruited in Taiwan. Our results indicate that students with and without dyslexia have different patterns of state anxiety across the three age levels. In addition, we found similar patterns between students with and without dyslexia across the three age levels in the effects of state anxiety on reading comprehension. However, the contributions of state anxiety to reading comprehension tended to decline as typically developing students matured, while they remained relatively constant for students with dyslexia across the three age levels. These results may have implications for teaching activities or examinations for students whose state anxiety has a significant impact on their reading comprehension skills.

This paper presents predictions of the added resistance of a ship in waves at a low speed according to the IMO minimum propulsion power requirement by a hybrid Taylor expansion boundary element method (TEBEM). The flow domain is divided into two parts: the inner domain and the outer domain. The first-order TEBEM with a simple Green function is used for the solution in the inner domain and the zero order TEBEM with a transient free surface Green function is used for the solution in the outer domain. The TEBEM is applied in the numerical prediction of the motions and the added resistance in waves for three new designed commercial ships. The numerical results are compared with those obtained from the seakeeping model tests. It is shown that the prediction of the ship motions and the added resistance in waves are in good agreement with the experimental results. The comparison also indicates that the accuracy of the motion estimation is crucial for the prediction of the wave added resistance. In general, the TEBEM enjoys a satisfactory accuracy and efficiency to predict the added resistance in waves at a low speed according to the IMO minimum propulsion power requirement.

Prior studies have suggested a link between sleep problems and problematic smartphone use. However, the causal relationships between these two variables have not been identified, particularly in adolescence. Utilizing longitudinal panel data from Taiwan, this report examined the temporal relationships between sleep problems and problematic smartphone use among adolescents. One thousand and thirty-nine students (Grades 7–12) were surveyed at two-time points with a 6-month interval. The results of cross-lagged panel analysis showed that sleep problems at Time 1 significantly predicted problematic smartphone use at Time 2. Problematic smartphone use at Time 1 also significantly predicted sleep problems at Time 2. These findings applied to boys and girls and suggested that temporal relationships between sleep problems and problematic smartphone use among teenagers are reciprocal. Accordingly, increasing sleep quality may prevent future problematic smartphone use, while reducing problematic smartphone use may prevent sleep problems in adolescents.

Prior studies on adverse outcomes of parental corporal punishment on children have focused on examining one of two broad domains of parental corporal punishment: parental beliefs or actual use. Recently, researchers have argued that parental belief and actual use of corporal punishment should work jointly to contribute to children’s depression and involvement in school violence. Yet, studies supporting this proposition are lacking. This study examined the indirect link from parental attitudes towards corporal punishment to children’s depression and school violence involvement through actual use of corporal punishment. Four hundred and thirty-three elementary school students and their parents in Taiwan participated in this study. The results indicate that positive parental attitudes towards corporal punishment do not predict children’s depression and involvement in school violence. However, parental attitudes towards corporal punishment had significant indirect relationships with depression and involvement in school violence through the actual use of corporal punishment. These findings applied to both genders. This study supports the proposition that parental attitudes and the actual use of corporal punishment could work together to predict children’s depression and school violence. Future intervention programs for decreasing children’s depressive symptoms and involvement in school violence might need to tackle corporal punishment in the family.

Previous empirical studies have found that not all adolescents showed a high level of psychological distress when facing parent–child conflict, which implies that there could be some additional moderating variables in this pair association. School connectedness and neighborhood disorder have been regarded as possible moderators of this relationship, but empirical evidence is lacking. The participants in this study included 971 students from two middle schools (grades 7–9) and two high schools (grades 10–12) and their parents in the City of Y, Shanxi Province, in mainland China. The PROCESS macro was used to conduct the moderation analysis. The results revealed that both school connectedness and neighborhood disorder significantly moderated the association of parent–child conflict with adolescent psychological distress. These findings highlighted the significance of increasing school connectedness and decreasing neighborhood disorder to alleviate adolescent psychological distress, thereby contributing to related policies and interventions.

This study examined the similarities and differences between three distinct Chinese societies (Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China) regarding the contribution of gender and grade level to school violence,...

A novel numerical model based on the image Green function and first-order Taylor expansion boundary element method (TEBEM), which can improve the accuracy of the hydrodynamic simulation for the non-smooth body, was developed to calculate the side wall effects on first-order motion responses and second-order drift loads upon offshore structures in the wave tank. This model was confirmed by comparing it to the results from experiments on hydrodynamic coefficients, namely the first-order motion response and second-order drift load upon a hemisphere, prolate spheroid, and box-shaped barge in the wave tank. Then, the hydrodynamics of the KVLCC2 model were also calculated in two wave tanks with different widths. It was concluded that this model can predict the hydrodynamics for offshore structures effectively, and the side wall has a significant impact on the first-order quantities and second-order drift loads, which satisfied the resonant rule.