Search

Abstract Recent years have witnessed a plethora of research on cyberbullying. However, many of the published studies have yielded mixed findings related to cyberbullying and its relation to demographic variables such as age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Review papers have been published on some of these topics, but comprehensive reviews of the relation between age and cyberbullying victimization and perpetration are lacking, particularly with regard to protective factors. Thus, the current paper takes a developmental approach to examine age and cyberbullying. The review focuses specifically on age variations in technology use, prevalence of cyberbullying involvement, risk and protective factors, and outcomes. Directions for future research, including implications for prevention and intervention, are discussed. Highlights • A developmental approach to ICT use and cyberbullying is discussed. • Cyberbullying risk and protective factors across ages are examined. • Notable gaps in the literature are highlighted, specifically among elementary school age youth and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper presents the results from a systematic and meta-analytical review of the effectiveness of cyberbullying intervention and prevention programs. Systematic searches were conducted for published and unpublished studies from 2000 to end 2017 on several online databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, PsychINFO, PsychARTICLES, Google Scholar, DARE, and ERIC. In addition, specific journals, for example, Cyberpsychology , Behavior , and Social Networking and Computers in Human Behavior , were hand searched for relevant studies. In total, 192 studies were retained for further screening from nearly 4000 search results. To be included in the present systematic review, studies had to: (1) include an adequate operational definition of cyberbullying; (2) describe the evaluation of an intervention or prevention program implemented with school-aged participants; (3) Employ experimental and control conditions; (4) Measure cyber-bullying behaviors using quantitative measurement instruments; and (5) have been published from 2000 onwards. Following rigorous screening, 24 publications were included in our systematic review. The majority of these studies (n = 15) used randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate anti-cyberbullying programs, while the remaining studies used quasi-experimental designs with before and after measures (n = 9). Within these 24 publications, 26 independent evaluations were reported. We conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize the results of primary evaluations of cyberbullying intervention programs. Our meta-analysis included 18 and 19 independent effect sizes for cyberbullying perpetration and cyberbullying victimization independently. The results of our meta-analysis suggest that cyberbullying intervention programs are effective in reducing both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Our results indicate that anti-cyberbullying programs can reduce cyberbullying perpetration by approximately 10%–15% and cyberbullying victimization by approximately 14%. We also compared results between different methodological designs and models of meta-analysis. The effect sizes were greater for RCTs than for quasi-experimental designs. Overall, the results of the present report address a significant gap in the cyberbullying literature, and suggest that intervention and prevention can be effective. However, future research needs to address the specific components of interventions that are effective, the effectiveness of prevention programs with non-school-aged samples, and the influence of overlapping offline and online victimization. Highlights • This systematic review of cyberbullying intervention programs included 24 primary evaluation studies, identified in searches of online databases from 2000 to end December 2017. • Meta-analysis of the effectiveness of school-based anti-cyberbullying programs identified that programs effectively reduce both cyberbullying perpetration (OR = 1.233) and cyberbullying victimization (OR = 1.227) amongst school-aged participants. • Results suggest that in included studies the weighted mean ORs correspond to a reduction in cyberbullying perpetration of approximately 9–15% and a reduction in cyberbullying victimization of approximately 14–15%. • This article is the first to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs in reducing cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. • Further research and investment is needed in this area, as cyberbullying becomes an increasing problem in modern society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyberbullying victimisation is a form of abuse through electronic means that can have a negative impact on the mental health of young people. Ethnic minority youth might be particularly affected by the impact of cyberbullying victimisation, as it cumulates with other life stressors. The present systematic review aimed to explore the mental health outcomes of cyberbullying victimisation among ethnic minority young people. A database search was conducted on PsycInfo, Academic Search Complete, ERIC, Scopus, and Web of Science. A total of 1258 articles was scanned, and 26 papers met the eligibility criteria for this review. A quality assessment of the eligible studies was carried out. Sample size of the included studies ranged between 118 and 15,425; most studies were quantitative and only 9 adopted a longitudinal design. Findings of the included studies showed that cybervictimised ethnic minority young people manifest mental health problems in terms of depression, anxiety, substance abuse and suicidal ideation. Cybervictimisation may constitute a risk factor for developing mental health problems in this vulnerable population, though confounding variables were not controlled for in most studies. Furthermore, findings are inconsistent among studies, which could be due to methodological gaps in the extant literature. Implications for research, policy and legislation are outlined. • Ethnic minority youth reported mental health problems following cybervictimisation. • Findings were mixed as to whether mental health issues varied based on ethnicity. • Most of the included studies reported a medium score on the quality review tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]