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Although research on sensitive topics has produced a large body of knowledge on how to improve the quality of self-reported data, little is known regarding the sensitivity of offending questions, and much less is known regarding how topic sensitivity is affected by recall periods. In this study, we developed a multi-dimensional assessment of item sensitivity in order to assess and rank the sensitivity of offending and drug use items. Second, to explore the impact of recall period on respondents' perceptions of question sensitivity, we have experimentally compared questions with different time frames (i.e. lifetime, past-year, and past-month). Our results provided a ranking of sensitivity of offending and drug use questions. Furthermore, the experimental manipulation showed that questions about recent time frames were rated as more sensitive than questions covering a longer period of time. The present findings allow future methodological research on offending behavior to control for question sensitivity. Also, this study shows that recall periods impact respondents' perceptions of question sensitivity.

Using cross-lagged model design, the present study is the first one to longitudinally examine whether bidirectional associations between child psychopathy features and negative parenting behaviors remain when controlling for parental psychopathic traits. The relationship between parental and child psychopathology, child conduct problems and parental rejection was assessed in 175 children (80 boys) at the ages 5, 6 and 8. Child psychopathy features and conduct problems at age 5-8 years were assessed using kindergarten/teacher-reported questionnaires, whereas parenting behaviors across all waves and parental psychopathic traits at Wave 1 were assessed using self-reports. Similar to past research, parental psychopathic traits were significantly related to both negative parenting practices and child's psychopathy features. However, although cross-lagged models provided evidence for bidirectional dynamics between child psychopathy features and parenting at all waves, this relationship became non-significant once parental psychopathic traits were entered into the model. These findings provide important new evidence that parental psychopathic personality has an important effect on the relationship between child psychopathy features and parenting practices observed in previous longitudinal studies. Thus, in addition to child psychopathy features, interventions for children with conduct problems should also target parental psychopathy in order to contribute to children's healthy development., Author(s): Silvija Rucevic [sup.1] , David P. Farrington [sup.2] , Henrik Andershed [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.412680.9, 0000 0001 1015 399X, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, [...]

It is widely accepted that Japanese, compared to Americans, commit fewer criminal and other forms of deviant acts. However, there is evidence that Japanese students have an unusually high prevalence of bullying. In the current study, we develop a rationale for predicting that Japanese students, relative to Americans, should be oriented more strongly toward an external locus of control and have more favorable attitudes toward bullying, which, in turn, might explain why student bullying is more prevalent in Japan than in the U.S. Analyses of comparable survey data from college students in Japan (N = 584) and the U.S. (N = 623) provide generally supportive evidence for our predictions. In agreement with expectations, Japanese students committed more bullying acts during their high school days than Americans. Further, Japanese students were oriented more strongly toward an external locus of control and had more favorable attitudes toward bullying. After controlling for both an external locus of control and student attitudes toward bullying, the initially significant difference between the two samples in student bullying disappeared. We discuss the utility of comparative research to increase our understanding of cross-national differences in student bullying. We suggest that longitudinal comparative data on an external locus of control and student attitudes toward bullying, both of which reflect individual cognitive orientations, are an important resource for further development of school intervention programs around the world.

In recent years, bullying and cyberbullying against teachers by students have been recognized as problems affecting educators teaching in different grades. Few studies to date have addressed explanatory risk factors related to the perpetrators (students) rather than the victims (teachers) in a longitudinal design, in order to establish the possible causes of this antisocial behavior to better develop prevention and intervention programs to reduce teacher victimization. The main aim of the present study is to analyze the effect on teacher victimization of individual and interpersonal risk factors, including empathy, moral disengagement, peer and parent support, awareness of online risks, and school climate. A total of 251 Italian students (aged 11-19) participated in a longitudinal study. The results showed that, for girls, high moral disengagement, low awareness of online risks and poor school climate were risk factors for later teacher victimization. For boys, high moral disengagement and low awareness of online risks were also risk factors, in addiction to low parental support and high peer support. The findings are discussed along with possible applications for prevention and intervention.

Epidemiological studies on the prevalence of cyberbullying and cybervictimization in different countries, using the same procedure and the same measures, are of relevance in understanding differences in results that are not due to methodological factors. The current study was conducted in 8 European countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Spain), involving a total of 4,847 students, using an online anonymous questionnaire (the Tabby online questionnaire). The results were analyzed by comparing differences between countries and between genders. Cyberbullying and cybervictimization were most prevalent in Bulgaria and Hungary and least prevalent in Spain. Boys committed more cyberbullying than girls in all countries, but there were no overall gender differences in cybervictimization. However, girls were more often cybervictims in four countries and boys were more often cybervictims in the other four countries. The results are discussed with regard to the importance of cross-national studies of cyberbullying and cybervictimization and the use of online data collection in order to reduce methodological bias.

Studies show that different types of antisocial behaviors share similar risk and protective factors related to particular social, emotional and moral competencies. Nevertheless, little is known about the longitudinal relation of social, emotional and moral competencies with patterns of antisocial behaviors in youth. The present study aimed to discover the longitudinal relations between social and emotional competencies, empathy, moral emotions, moral disengagement, and perceived moral disengagement induced by parents, and the patterns of antisocial behaviors and change in these patterns over time. A sample of 898 Spanish students aged between 9 and 17 was followed up for one year. Self-reported data were analyzed using latent transition analyses and multinomial regressions. Results showed that age, several mechanisms of moral disengagement, perceived parental moral disengagement induction, and several social and emotional competencies predicted offenders outside of school and highly antisocial and victimized patterns, including their stability over time. Moreover, males at early ages and perceived parental moral disengagement induction predicted the high bullying victimization pattern. Being a male, with high victim dehumanizing and blaming, predicted stability of the high bullying victimization pattern. Being a male, early ages, and low responsible decision-making predicted changes from the high bullying victimization pattern to the low antisocial pattern. Results are discussed emphasizing the need to conduct prevention and intervention programs from a comprehensive perspective promoting social, emotional and moral competencies. This study could have useful implications for prevention and intervention focused on decreasing risk and increasing protective factors., Author(s): Elena Nasaescu [sup.1] , Izabela Zych [sup.1] , Rosario Ortega-Ruiz [sup.1] , David P. Farrington [sup.2] , Vicente J. Llorent [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411901.c, 0000 0001 2183 9102, [...]