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Bullying and cyberbullying have been intensively studied in many countries, and research on the topic has been fruitful. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to advance knowledge on bullying and cyberbullying in many geographical areas and to discover their risk and protective factors. The objective of this study was to describe and compare the involvement in different bullying and cyberbullying roles in Spain and Poland, identifying risk and protective factors such as moral disengagement, social and emotional competencies, moral emotions and empathy. This study was carried out with a sample of 2535 primary and secondary school students from Spain and Poland. More bullying and cyberbullying involvement were found in Poland in comparison with Spain. Different moral disengagement mechanisms were found to be risk factors for involvement in bullying and cyberbullying in both countries. Low moral emotions were a risk factor for bullying and cyberbullying perpetration in Spain and Poland. Different social and emotional competencies were protective against bullying and cyberbullying in both countries. These results suggest the need to design and implement more programs to promote social, emotional and moral competencies in Spain and Poland to protect children against bullying and cyberbullying.

The Basic Empathy Scale is widely used to measure cognitive and affective empathy in different age groups. Although empathy is studied throughout the world, research on this important psychological construct in Eastern European populations needs to be increased. In order to accomplish this, validated instruments to measure empathy are needed in this geographic area. This study was conducted to analyze the psychometric properties of the Basic Empathy Scale in Poland. The sample included 1052 children and adolescents aged 9 to 16, enrolled in Primary and Middle schools. This was a cross-sectional study conducted with a survey that was filled in by the participants during their regular classroom hours. Confirmatory Factor Analyses were conducted, together with concurrent validity analyses and comparisons between younger and older participants, and between females and males were undertaken. A final 12-item version of the Basic Empathy Scale was obtained with affective empathy and cognitive empathy factors. The Polish version of the scale showed good psychometric properties. Females scored higher on affective, cognitive and total empathy than males. Younger male participants scored higher on affective, cognitive and total empathy than older male participants. This validated measure of empathy in Polish children and adolescents can be used to study the relation between empathy and both antisocial and prosocial behaviors. In addition, this measure will allow for Poland to be included in cross-country comparisons of empathy and also used to evaluate programs focused on enhancing empathy in Poland., Author(s): Izabela Zych [sup.1] , David P. Farrington [sup.2] , Elena Nasaescu [sup.1] , Darrick Jolliffe [sup.3] , Estera Twardowska-Staszek [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411901.c, 0000 0001 2183 9102, Universidad [...]

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Objectives of the research: Social and emotional competencies are crucial predictors of effective human psychosocial functioning. Although research on social and emotional competencies has been carried out for many years almost worldwide, in the current era of rapid social changes, further research is necessary. Thus, it is still essential to validate international questionnaires to measure social and emotional competencies in different geographic areas, including Poland. This would make it possible to study the dynamics of the development of these competencies and to conduct comparative studies between different countries. Therefore, the aim of the study was to validate the Social and Emotional Competencies Questionnaire (SEC-Q) in Poland. Research methods: This study was conducted with the Social and Emotional Competencies Questionnaire (SEC-Q). A short description of the context of the issue: The Social and Emotional Competencies Questionnaire (SEC-Q) was completed by 1,052 students aged 9 to 16. The psychometric properties of the SEC-Q were tested through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Research findings: The results showed that the SEC-Q has good psychometric properties and, as in its original version, it includes four components: self-awareness, self-management and motivation, social-awareness and relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Conclusions and recommendations: Validation of the SEC-Q will allow for more research on social and emotional competencies in Poland, including an evaluation of programs for increasing social and emotional competencies and international comparative studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]