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Although hate speech is widely recognized as an online phenomenon, very few studies have investigated hate speech among adolescents in offline settings (e.g., schools). At the same time, not much is known about countering hate speech (counterspeech) among adolescents and which factors are associated with it. To this end, the present study used the socio-ecological framework to investigate the direct and indirect links among one contextual factor (i.e., classroom climate) and two intrapersonal factors (i.e., empathy for victims of hate speech, self-efficacy regarding intervention in hate speech) to understand counterspeech among adolescents. The sample is based on self-reports of 3,225 students in Grades 7 to 9 (51.7% self-identified as female) from 36 schools in Germany and Switzerland. Self-report questionnaires were administered to measure classroom climate, empathy, self-efficacy, and counterspeech. After controlling for adolescents' grade, gender, immigrant background, and socioeconomic status (SES), the 2-(1-1)-1 multilevel mediation analysis showed that classroom climate (L2), empathy for victims of hate speech (L1), and self-efficacy toward intervention in hate speech (L1) had a positive effect on countering hate speech (L1). Classroom climate (L2) was also positively linked to empathy for victims of hate speech (L1), and self-efficacy toward intervention in hate speech (L1). Furthermore, classroom climate (L2) was indirectly associated with countering hate speech (L1) via greater empathy (L1) and self-efficacy (L1). The findings highlight the need to focus on contextual and intrapersonal factors when trying to facilitate adolescents' willingness to face hate speech with civic courage and proactively engage against it.
Background:
Using the internet to search for information or share images about self-harm is an emerging risk among young people. The aims of this study were (a) to analyze the prevalence of different types of self-harm on the internet and differences by sex and age, and (b) to examine the relationship of self-harm on the internet with intrapersonal factors (i.e., depression and anxiety) and interpersonal factors (i.e., family cohesion and social resources).
Method:
The sample consisted of 1,877 adolescents (946 girls) between 12 and 17 years old (Mage = 13.41, SD = 1.25) who completed self-report measures.
Results:
Approximately 11% of the participants had been involved in some type of self-harm on the internet. The prevalence was significantly higher among girls than boys and among adolescents older than 15 years old. Depression and anxiety increased the risk of self-harm on the internet, whereas family cohesion decreased the probability of self-harm on the internet.
Conclusions:
Self-harm on the internet is a relatively widespread phenomenon among Spanish adolescents. Prevention programs should include emotional regulation, coping skills, and resilience to reduce in this behavior.
Online hate speech has become a widespread problem in the daily life of adolescents. Despite growing societal and academic interest in this online risk, not much is known about the relationship between online hate speech victimization (OHSV) and adolescents' mental well-being.
In addition, potential factors influencing the magnitude of this relationship remain unclear. To address these gaps in the literature, this study investigated the relationship between OHSV and depressive symptoms and the buffering effects of resilience in this relationship. The sample consists of 1,632 adolescents (49.1% girls) between 12 and 18 years old (M-age = 13.83, SDage = 1.23), recruited from nine schools across Spain.
Self-report questionnaires were administered to assess OHSV, depressive symptoms, and resilience. Regression analyses revealed that OHSV was positively linked to depressive symptoms.
In addition, victims of online hate speech were less likely to report depressive symptoms when they reported average or high levels of resilience (i.e., social competence, personal competence, structured style, social resources, and family cohesion) compared with those with low levels of resilience.
Our findings highlight the need for the development of intervention programs and the relevance of focusing on internal and external developmental assets to mitigate negative outcomes for victims of online hate speech.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the moderating effect of perceived social support from friends in the associations between self-isolation practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and adolescents' mental health (i.e., depression, subjective health complaints, self-harm), measured six months later (Time 2). Participants were 1,567 7(th) and 8(th) graders (51% female; 51% white; M age = 13.67) from the United States. They completed questionnaires on perceived social support from friends, depression, subjective health complaints, and self-harm at Time 1, and self-isolation practices during COVID-19, depression, subjective health complaints, and self-harm at Time 2. The findings revealed that self-isolation practices during COVID-19 was related positively to Time 1 perceived social support from friends, and negatively to Time 2 depression, subjective health complaints, and self-harm, while accounting for Time 1 mental health outcomes. Higher perceived social support from friends at Time 1 buffered against the negative impacts on adolescents' mental health outcomes at Time 2 when they practiced greater self-isolation during COVID-19, while lower perceived social support at Time 1 had the opposite effects on Time 2 mental health outcomes.
This study investigated the role of medium (face-to-face, cyber) and publicity (public, private) in adolescents' perceptions of severity and coping strategies (i.e., avoidant, ignoring, helplessness, social support seeking, retaliation) for victimization, while accounting for gender and cultural values. There were 3432 adolescents (ages 11-15, 49% girls) in this study; they were from China, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, and the United States. Adolescents completed questionnaires on individualism and collectivism, and ratings of coping strategies and severity for public face-to-face victimization, private face-to-face victimization, public cyber victimization, and private cyber victimization. Findings revealed similarities in adolescents' coping strategies based on perceptions of severity, publicity, and medium for some coping strategies (i.e., social support seeking, retaliation) but differential associations for other coping strategies (i.e., avoidance, helplessness, ignoring). The results of this study are important for prevention and intervention efforts because they underscore the importance of teaching effective coping strategies to adolescents, and to consider how perceptions of severity, publicity, and medium might influence the implementation of these coping strategies.
Not much is known about how bystanders' emotional reactions after not intervening in cyberbullying might impact their health issues. Narrowing this gap in the literature, the present study focused on examining the moderating effects of emotional reactions (i.e., guilt, sadness, anger) after not intervening in cyberbullying on the longitudinal relationship between cyberbullying bystanding and health issues (i.e., subjective health complaints, suicidal ideation, non-suicidal self-harm). Participants were 1,067 adolescents between 12 and 15 years old included in this study (M-age = 13.67; 51% girls). The findings showed a positive association between Time 1 cyberbullying bystanding and Time 2 health issues. Guilt moderated the positive relationships among Time 1 cyberbullying bystanding, Time 2 subjective health complaints, suicidal ideation, and non-suicidal self-harm. Time 1 sadness also moderated the relationship between Time 1 cyberbullying bystanding and Time 2 suicidal ideation and non-suicidal self-harm. However, anger did not moderate any of the associations.
Little is known about the current state of research on the involvement of young people in hate speech. Thus, this systematic review presents findings on a) the prevalence of hate speech among children and adolescents and on hate speech definitions that guide prevalence assessments for this population; and b) the theoretical and empirical overlap of hate speech with related concepts. This review was guided by the Cochrane approach. To be included, publications were required to deal with real-life experiences of hate speech, to provide empirical data on prevalence for samples aged 5 to 21 years and they had to be published in academic formats. Included publications were full-text coded using two raters (kappa = .80) and their quality was assessed. The string-guided electronic search (ERIC, SocInfo, Psycinfo, Psyndex) yielded 1,850 publications. Eighteen publications based on 10 studies met the inclusion criteria and their findings were systematized. Twelve publications were of medium quality due to minor deficiencies in their theoretical or methodological foundations. All studies used samples of adolescents and none of younger children. Nine out of 10 studies applied quantitative methodologies. Eighteen publications based on 10 studies were included. Results showed that frequencies for hate speech exposure were higher than those related to victimization and perpetration. Definitions of hate speech and assessment instruments were heterogeneous. Empirical evidence for an often theorized overlap between hate speech and bullying was found. The paper concludes by presenting a definition of hate speech, including implications for practice, policy, and research.
Despite public discourses highlighting the negative consequences of time spent online (TSO) for children's well-being, Norwegian children (aged 9-16 years) use the Internet more than other European children and score higher on self-reported life satisfaction (SRLS).
To explore the possibility that TSO might contribute to high life satisfaction or other underlying explanatory factors, we investigate the relationship between TSO and SRLS in Norway while also accounting for how individual, family, school, and broader social circumstances influence this relationship.
Countering prevailing discourses, we find a positive relationship between TSO and SRLS, which remains positive and significant even after a wider range of variables are accounted for.
By explaining the circumstances under which TSO has a positive effect on SRLS, this article provides evidence of the complex role that digital technology plays in the lives of children.
It also provides a critique of the often simplistic arguments found in public discourses around children's digital media use.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the moderating effect of technology use for friendship maintenance in the associations between self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and friendship quality, measured 6 months later (Time 2). Participants were 1,567 seventh and eighth graders (51% female; 51% white; M-age = 13.47) from the United States. They completed questionnaires on friendship quality at Time 1, and self-isolation during COVID-19 and technology use for friendship maintenance and friendship quality at Time 2. The findings revealed that self-isolation during COVID-19 was related positively to technology use for friendship maintenance and negatively to Time 2 friendship quality. Higher technology use for friendship maintenance buffered against the negative impacts on friendship quality associated with self-isolation during COVID-19, while lower technology use had the opposite effects on Time 2 friendship quality.