scholarly journals School Interventions for Bullying–Cyberbullying Prevention in Adolescents: Insights from the UPRIGHT and CREEP Projects

Author(s):  
Silvia Gabrielli ◽  
Silvia Rizzi ◽  
Sara Carbone ◽  
Enrico Maria Piras

Background: Several challenges and emotional demands characterize adolescence, affecting the mental well-being of youths. Among these, bullying and cyberbullying are recognized nowadays as a major social problem, affecting more than one-third of adolescents, with extensive negative consequences for the victims involved, such as lower self-esteem, increased loneliness, depression, and anxiety. School programs and interventions that foster resilience, coping, and well-being are particularly important during adolescence as protective and preventive factors against the consequences of (cyber)bullying. The paper presents two recent co-designed interventions for (cyber)bullying prevention deployed in Europe, targeting early adolescents and their school communities. Methods: The UPRIGHT project developed an evidence-based, whole-school intervention to train resilience as a protective factor to promote mental well-being in adolescents, in a cross-national perspective. The CREEP project designed and implemented digital interventions to support schools in (i) early detection of cyberbullying events on social media and (ii) coaching adolescents (victims, bullies, bystanders) on how to cope with (cyber)bullying behaviors. Results: The main challenges and insights collected during the design and implementation of both interventions are discussed to inform future research and practice. Conclusion: The feasibility and acceptance of prevention programs are key to the reducing risk of (cyber)bullying and improving the psychological well-being of early adolescents.

Author(s):  
G. J. Melendez-Torres ◽  
Elizabeth Allen ◽  
Russell Viner ◽  
Chris Bonell

AbstractWhole-school interventions are a promising approach to preventing bullying and aggression while promoting broader health. The main analyses from a trial of the INCLUSIVE whole-school intervention reported reductions in bullying victimisation but not aggression and improved mental well-being. Latent transition analysis can examine how interventions ‘move’ people between classes defined by multiple outcomes over time. We examined at baseline what classes best defined individuals’ bullying, aggression and mental well-being and what effects did the intervention have on movement between classes over time? INCLUSIVE was a two-arm cluster-randomised trial with 20 high schools per arm, with 24-month and 36-month follow-ups. We estimated sequential latent class solutions on baseline data. We then estimated a latent transition model including baseline, 24-month and 36-month follow-up measurements. Our sample comprised 8179 students (4082 control, 4097 intervention arms). At baseline, classes were (1) bullying victims, (2) aggression perpetrators, (3) extreme perpetrators and (4) neither victims nor perpetrators. Control students who were extreme perpetrators were equally likely to stay in this class (27.0% probability) or move to aggression perpetrators (25.0% probability) at 24 months. In the intervention group, fewer extreme perpetrators students remained (5.4%), with more moving to aggression perpetrators (65.1%). More control than intervention extreme perpetrators moved to neither victims nor perpetrators (35.2% vs 17.8%). Between 24 and 36 months, more intervention students moved from aggression perpetrators to neither victims nor perpetrators than controls (30.1% vs 22.3%). Our findings suggest that the intervention had important effects in transitioning students to lower-risk classes.


2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001439
Author(s):  
Martin Bricknell

This paper describes a framework for understanding military combat mental health based on the possible mental ill-health consequences of exposure to ‘potential trauma events’ for members of the armed forces and after their military service as veterans. It uses a life course approach that maps an individual’s mental well-being against four ‘states’: fit, reacting, injured and ill. It then considers five categories of factors that influence the risk of mental illness from this exposure based on research evidence; prejoining vulnerability, resilience, precipitating, treatment and recovery. This framework offers a structure to debate current knowledge, inform policy and therapeutic interventions, provide education and to guide future research into the subject.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessie Ho-Yin Yau ◽  
Daniel Yee-Tak Fong ◽  
Janet Yuen-Ha Wong

Although economic abuse is one of the major tactics of intimate partner violence, there has been a lack of empirical evidence on the factors associated with economic abuse and its mental well-being outcomes in Chinese population. This study aimed to identify risk factors for and mental well-being of economic abuse in Chinese population. This was a cross-sectional household survey with 504 Chinese adults in Hong Kong. It was found that unmarried individuals and individuals with tertiary education or above were at risk of economic abuse. Moreover, there were significant association between economic abuse experience and anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic symptoms. Resilience was the protective factor against anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic symptoms. The findings were discussed alongside with Chinese culture.


2021 ◽  
pp. 109467052110611
Author(s):  
Christopher P. Blocker ◽  
Brennan Davis ◽  
Laurel Anderson

Even as transformative service initiatives promote greater well-being, they may also create unintentionally negative consequences. Research investigates boundary conditions and boomerang effects that wash out or reverse the intended effects of service initiatives. However, such research generally advances greater depth of insight about unintended consequences in a particular stream rather than bridging this knowledge across service domains. Thus, service research lacks integrative frameworks, theory, and empirical insight to advance more generalizable knowledge about unintended consequences. The purpose of this editorial is to clarify the importance of investigating unintended consequences across service contexts and propose pathways as a catalyst for research. Using theory on unintended consequences, we delineate the types of unintended consequences and discuss the underlying mechanisms. We identify themes that span papers in the special issue and illuminate negative spillover consequences. The editorial concludes with an overview of future research avenues with potential to accelerate important transformative service research.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Salma Kaneez ◽  
Shamim A Ansari

Spirituality has been described as the central philosophy of life which guides peoples’ conduct and is the core of individual existence that integrates and transcends the physical, emotional, intellectual, ethical, volitional and social dimensions. World Health Organization (WHO) has included spirituality in its comprehensive definition of holistic health. It is recognized as a protective factor or resource when dealing with critical illness and disabilities. Spirituality and religious faith exert a primary preventive effect against morbidity in multiple populations, and has a positive association with psychological well-being. A growing body of research has investigated the relationship of various spiritual and religious indices to various aspects of health. Empirical studies have revealed that spirituality and religious beliefs help prevent physical and mental illness, reducing symptoms severity and relapse rate, and enhancing recovery from diverse set of ailments. Spiritual transcendence (connectedness with God) has been found to play crucial role in coping with illness. The purpose of the present article is to explore the role of spiritual and religious practices in promoting health and wellness among the people inflicted with illness. The paper also highlights implications for health practices and future research in complimentary therapies.Keywords; Spirituality, Well-Being, Coping, Holistic Health.


2020 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2092163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Germani ◽  
Delvecchio Elisa ◽  
Li Jian-Bin ◽  
Lis Adriana ◽  
Mazzeschi Claudia

Establishing a coherent meaning in life has long been considered to be a protective factor of well-being, but this construct has been understudied in early adolescent development. The current study investigated the relationships between family allocentrism and depressive symptoms as well as the mediation effect of meaning in life in 214 Chinese and 201 Italian early adolescents. Although family allocentrism was higher in Chinese than Italian participants, it was significantly associated to lower depressive symptoms in both countries. Moderated mediational analyses showed that in both countries: (a) family allocentrism was positively related with presence of meaning; (b) family allocentrism and presence of meaning were negatively related to depressive symptoms; and (c) presence of meaning mediated the relationship between family allocentrism and depressive symptoms. In conclusion, family allocentrism and presence of meaning in life are important preventive factors of early adolescents’ depressive symptoms in both collectivistic and in individualistic countries.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110513
Author(s):  
Beatriz Ortega ◽  
Alonso Mateo ◽  
María V. Jimeno ◽  
Jorge J. Ricarte

Early adolescents’ perception of parenting styles is crucial to their present and future physical and mental well-being. The main aim of the present study was to analyze differences in parenting styles between mothers and fathers and differences on emotional state scales (anxiety, depression, and purpose in life) depending on gender, age, and family structure in 744 girls (54%) and boys (45.7%) aged between 10 and 12 years. The results showed that the early adolescents perceived greater levels of affect than criticism, with mothers being considered more affectionate than fathers. The greater the perceived affect and communication, the greater was the perception of purpose in life and the lower the levels of anxiety and depression in early adolescents. Boys showed higher levels of perceived criticism and rejection. Family affect and communication play a key role in purpose in life and emotional well-being of children, with parenting styles being a determining factor.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byongook Moon ◽  
Merry Morash ◽  
June Oh Jang ◽  
SeokJin Jeong

Empirical studies indicate that violence against teachers is a globally prevalent phenomenon and has damaging negative effects on victimized teachers’ physical and emotional well-being and teaching effectiveness. Nevertheless, limited empirical research has been conducted to identify factors affecting emotional distress among victimized teachers. This research contributes to the literature by exploring negative consequence of victimization and factors associated with victimized teachers’ emotional distress in a South Korean context. The results indicate that students’ verbal and noncontact physical aggression are highly correlated with teachers’ emotional distress. Teachers’ gender, student-oriented approach, and several incident characteristics (number of offending students, direct settlement with offending students) are significant predictors of emotional distress caused by either students’ verbal threat or noncontact aggressive behaviors. Directions for future research and policy implications are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1686) ◽  
pp. 20150072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet Over

Our reliance on our group members has exerted a profound influence over our motivation: successful group functioning requires that we are motivated to interact, and engage, with those around us. In other words, we need to belong. In this article, I explore the developmental origins of our need to belong. I discuss existing evidence that, from early in development, children seek to affiliate with others and to form long-lasting bonds with their group members. Furthermore, when children are deprived of a sense of belonging, it has negative consequences for their well-being. This focus on social motivation enables us to examine why and in what circumstances children engage in particular behaviours. It thus provides an important complement to research on social cognition. In doing so, it opens up important questions for future research and provides a much-needed bridge between developmental and social psychology.


Dementia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 496-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Allward ◽  
Rosie Dunn ◽  
Gemma Forshaw ◽  
Chris Rewston ◽  
Nicola Wass

The benefits of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy in supporting cognitive functioning for people with dementia are well recognised. It has been proposed that Cognitive Stimulation Therapy may offer additional benefits in terms of a person’s sense of general wellbeing. A service evaluation of 60 participants attending Cognitive Stimulation Therapy groups was conducted using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Although this evaluation did not demonstrate a significant difference between pre- and post-treatment scores (t = −1.75, df = −59, p = −0.085), there was a trend in participants’ reported optimism about the future and confidence. Recommendations about future research in relation to mental wellbeing in dementia care are discussed.


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