Speakers
Description
Bullying and cyberbullying are widespread phenomena, posing significant public health concerns due to their impact on mental well-being, academic achievement, and social relationships. However, emerging challenges—such as rapid changes in the digital landscape, evolving social dynamics, shifting societal norms, and new perspectives on mental health—call for innovative conceptualizations and methodologies to tackle the complexities of bullying and cyberbullying effectively.
The studies presented offer valuable insights into rethinking concepts and research methods in bullying and cyberbullying. In terms of conceptualization, Spears, Green, Taddeo and Tippet, as part of their larger systematic review of Australian literature 2014-2023, to inform the redesign of the National (Australian) website Bullying.No Way! consider the changing social/digital landscape over time and its implications for bullying research. Amadori and Brighi propose a socio-structural framework for understanding cyberbullying, enphasizing the importance of contextual factors such as future-oriented fears, peer pressure, social media popularity, and parental communication. On the methodological front, Menabò, Mameli and Guarini highlight the value of qualitative research, particularly visual methodologies, in grasping students’ subjective experiences and providing deeper insights into their perceptions of defending behaviour. Marinoni, Caravita and Zanetti point out the relevance of a longitudinal approach in examining the complex and dynamic association between bullying and maternal/paternal styles across three distinct developmental stages.
In conclusion, these studies suggested the importance of updating our understanding of bullying and cyberbullying, advocating for innovative methodologies and research designs to gain a deeper understanding of these phenomena and to inform the development of effective interventions.
Keywords
bullying; cyberbullying; children; adolescents
Additional field for symposia
ABSTRACT 1: Impact of changes in educational and social landscapes on bullying and cyberbullying research agendas. Authors: Barbara A. Spears, Deborah Green, Carmel Taddeo, Neil Tippet. There have always been shifts in educational, social and technical landscapes, however, the way we experience life socially, educationally and technologically, is different to any time in the past. This paper considers recent changes in Australian educational, technical and social landscapes and reflects on their relationship and relevance to bullying and cyberbullying research locally, and more globally. Possible future developments and implications are discussed.
Socio-ecological theory views children as developing within a complex system of relationships influenced by multiple environmental levels, however, the sociotechnical ecosystems approach offers a framework that considers the interconnectedness of the social and technical aspects of young people’s lives. This presentation employs both to consider the impacts on bullying/cyberbullying research of such recent social, technological/digital and educational landscape shifts as: the COVID-19 pandemic; emerging national and international agendas to protect young people online; rapid technological developments including Artificial Intelligence (AI); changes to Marriage Equality Laws; and the changing nature of the teacher workforce, with its high teacher turnover and shortages. These shifts in landscape cannot be viewed in isolation. When considering bullying and cyberbullying research, schools and the whole of education or community approach must be understood in the context of these shifts and changing norms, rather than simply focusing on the behaviors of individuals in the peer dynamic. The social influences and norms operating as a consequence of these educational, socio and technical landscape changes are therefore important for all stakeholders, but especially researchers, to consider.
ABSTRACT 2: Adolescents, Social Media, and Cyberbullying: Examining Perspectives and Theoretical Approaches
Authors: Alberto Amadori & Antonella Brighi
Theoretical background and objective of the study.
Traditional studies on bullying and cyberbullying have largely concentrated on identifying the roles of bully, victim, and bystander and examining psychological and social factors involved. However, with the evolving nature of digital media and social interactions, there is a need for a broader conceptual approach. This study proposes a socio-structural framework for conceptualizing cyberbullying, viewing it as a behavior shaped by a range of external and relational factors, including future anxieties, the pursuit of social media popularity, peer pressure, and family dynamics.
Methodology
We conducted a survey with 773 adolescents from the Republic of San Marino (Mage = 12.59, SD = 1.33; 52% girls), exploring mental health, social media use, and anxieties about the future. Spearman correlation analysis were employed to explore associations between variables.
Results obtained or expected
Our results indicated that both cyberbullying victimization and aggression were positively associated with increased anxiety about the future, peer pressure, a strong drive for popularity on social media, and negative communication with parents.
Conclusions with implications for practice
This work demonstrates the importance of considering cyberbullying within a socio-structural context. Emerging applications of theories like the Spiral of Silence offer views into how social pressures can influence adolescents' willingness to intervene or react online, influencing victim and bystander behavior. Additionally, using social network analysis might provide meaningful perspectives on how cyberbullying operates through social ties, highlighting who bullies whom and how social media dynamics shape and amplify these behaviors.
ABSTRACT 3: Understanding Students' Perceptions of Defenders in Bullying: Insights from an Ecological Drawing Task. Authors: Laura Menabò, Consuelo Mameli, Annalisa Guarini
Theoretical Background and Objective
The defender plays a crucial role in bullying by supporting victims. While previous research has explored factors that predict defending behaviors, little is known about students' own perceptions of defenders. This study aims to contribute to filling this gap by examining how students portray defenders through an ecological drawing task, focusing on defender characteristics, actions, and the relational dynamics between the defender and the victim.
Methodology
We invited 122 Italian middle school students to draw themselves and their "ideal defender". Drawings were explored for defender gender, character (peer, adult, fantastic), behavior (victim-oriented or bully-oriented), and relational aspects with the author of drawing (cohesion, distancing, similarity, and value alignment), also investigating gender differences. Chi-Square (χ²) and one-way Student’s t-tests were performed in R software.
Results
Students primarily depicted defenders as peers, preferring victim-oriented behaviors (e.g., wrapping the arm around the protagonist). While female students often represented defenders as same-gender peers, male students favored powerful or fantastical characters (p = .006). The analysis of relational aspects revealed that female participants showed overall higher cohesion (𝑝 =.045) and joint activities with the ideal defender (𝑝 = .035), while male students demonstrated greater distancing (𝑝 =.02).
Conclusion and Implications for Practice
Findings emphasize the critical role of peer support in anti-bullying efforts, as students primarily envision defenders as empathetic peers rather than confrontational figures. This suggests that fostering relational skills and cohesion can deepen students' sense of responsibility toward one another.
ABSTRACT 4: The role of parenting style in bullying: a 3 waves longitudinal study
Authors: Carlo Marinoni, Simona C.S. Caravita, Maria Assunta Zanetti
Theoretical background and objective of the study
Parenting styles represent a possible risk or protective factor against bullying (He et al., 2023). This topic has been understudied using longitudinal data and controlling for possible circular associations between bullying and parenting styles. We aimed to investigate longitudinal associations between perpetrating bullying and maternal/paternal styles: authoritative, authoritarian and permissive styles.
Methodology
A sample of 1605 Italian adolescents (43.2% females; age: M=15.63, SD=1.251) participated to a three waves data collection over one year, answering self-report measures to assess bullying (Palladino et al., 2016) and parenting styles (mother/father) (Tagliabue et al., 2014).
Results
We run 6 cross-lagged models, each including one of the six parenting styles and bullying from T1 to T3. All the models obtained acceptable fit: Chi-square indexes (2) ≤ 3.890, p ≥ 0.001, CFIs ≥ 0.960, RMSEAs ≤ 0.079, SRMRs ≤ 0.049. Authoritative maternal style (T1) predicted negatively bullying (T2) and from T2 to T3. Authoritarian maternal and paternal styles (T1) predicted positively bullying (T2) and the maternal one from T2 to T3. Permissive maternal style (T2) predicted positively bullying (T3). Permissive paternal style (T1) predicted positively bullying (T2).
Conclusion with implications for practice
Parenting styles can prevent (authoritative) or increase (authoritarian and permissive) risk of behaving bullying, when controlling for possible reversed associations. These results indicate that focusing only on the school setting can be not enough in order to prevent bullying and we need intervention actions also addressing parents (Espelage et al., 2019).
Discussant: Marina Camodeca
| Please also indicate what kind of contribution it is: | Scientific |
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| Please indicate what type of scientific contribution it is | Mixed method study |
