Why Do Students Become Cyberbullies? Elucidating the Contributions of Specific Developmental Risks to Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is currently considered as a widespread problem among children and adolescents; in particular, the risks of cyberbullying have recently been examined. The empirical analyses of the present work are based on data from a German longitudinal study. The self-reports of adolescents from Dortmund and Nuremberg on both cyberbullying and individual and contextual characteristics were taken into account. The two-wave panel encompasses N = 871 adolescents (44.5% male); the average age was M = 15.1 years (SD = 0.83) at t1. Data on cyberbullying refer to sending insults or threats to others via the Internet, spreading rumours or talking badly about others via the Internet, and sending private e-mails, photos or similar from others in order to embarrass or ridicule the persons concerned. Other characteristics relate to single aspects of psychopathy (egocentric egotism, low self-control, empathy deficits), acceptance of violence, and delinquent peers. The path analytical findings illustrate the predictive relationships between both individual and contextual risks and cyberbullying in adolescence. The empirical results are discussed, among others, from the perspective of developmental and life-course criminology.

Involvement in Crime and Delinquency and the Development of Technological and Computer Skills: A Longitudinal Analysis

A body of research has revealed that involvement in crime and delinquency is associated with a wide number of social, economic, and health consequences. The current study built off this knowledge base and examined whether measures of adolescent violent delinquency and contact with the criminal justice system were related to the access of basic, and experience with, technology, and computers. To do so, longitudinal data drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) were analyzed. The results revealed that self-reported violent delinquency in adolescence was associated with a decreased probability of owning a computer and having an email account 10 to 12 years into the future. Additionally, measures of contact with the criminal justice system, low self-control, delinquent peers, and governmental public assistance were also associated with the probability of owning a computer and having an email account.

Risky sexual behaviour among Russian adolescents: association with internalizing and externalizing symptoms

Background Risky sexual behaviour (RSB) is regarded as a major health problem during adolescence. Russia has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy, abortion and newly diagnosed HIV infections in the world, but research on RSB in Russian youth has been limited. To address this deficit, this study examined the role of several factors, including internalizing and externalizing symptoms, in RSB among Russian adolescents. Methods Self-reported data were collected from 2573 Russian adolescents aged 13–17 years old (59.4 % girls; Mean age = 14.89) regarding RSB (unprotected sex, early pregnancy, multiple sexual partners and substance use during sexual encounters). Information was also obtained on externalizing (conduct problems and delinquent behaviour) and internalizing (depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress) symptoms, as well as interpersonal risk and protective factors (affiliation with delinquent peers, parental involvement and teacher support). Hierarchical multiple binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between these variables and RSB. Results Boys reported engaging in more RSB than girls. Externalizing symptoms and affiliation with delinquent peers were most strongly associated with RSB, whereas symptoms of anxiety were negatively associated with RSB. There was an interaction effect for sex and affiliation with delinquent peers on RSB with boys reporting RSB when having more delinquent peers. Neither parental involvement nor teacher support were protective against RSB. Conclusions Early detection of and interventions for RSB and associated externalizing symptoms may be important for adolescent physical and mental wellbeing. Affiliation with delinquent peers should, especially among boys, be regarded as a risk marker for RSB.

Explaining Chinese Delinquency: Self-Control, Morality, and Criminogenic Exposure

This study extends the testing of situational action theory (SAT) to a Chinese population, and sheds new light on the directions of the moderation relationships between self-control and morality, and between crime propensity and criminogenic exposure on delinquency. Relying on a large, representative sample of middle school students from two areas of Guizhou, China ( N = 2,498), we find that both self-control and morality have significant inhibiting effects on delinquency. Moreover, self-control has a more profound curbing effect on delinquency among adolescents with higher levels of morality. Meanwhile, the promoting effect of crime propensity on delinquency decreases when levels of risky exposure increase. When adolescents have more unsupervised activities and delinquent peers, their crime propensity affects delinquency to a lesser extent. Our study confirms that individual and situational factors interlock in determining delinquency, and reiterates the value of empirical testing across cultures to validate and possibly improve general theories of crime.

Self-Control, Risky Lifestyles, and Victimization among Chinese Adolescents

Violent and property victimization among Chinese adolescents remains a social problem, yet studies that incorporate individual characteristics and situational/contextual factors to explain such victimization remain scarce. Drawing upon survey data collected from a large, representative sample of middle school students from two areas in Guizhou Province, China, we test Schreck’s integrated model of victimization, finding that self-control has both direct and indirect influences on violent and property victimization among Chinese adolescents. Delinquent peers play the most significant intermediate role in connecting self-control and adolescent victimization. Results reconfirm the importance of both self-control and risky lifestyles/situations in shaping victimization, and identify a victimization pathway that accentuates the key linking mechanism of delinquent peers in the self-control—victimization nexus.

Understanding Sexual Harassment Through an Individual and Relational Lens: Are Risk Factors the Same for Female and Male Perpetrators?

Given widespread recognition of sexual violence as a public health concern, sexual harassment has garnered considerable attention from researchers and the public. Yet research with adolescent samples has typically focused on the experiences of victims rather than perpetrators, and males as perpetrators and females as victims. In the current article, we consider whether risk and protective factors operate similarly within and across sex assigned at birth. A national sample of youth, ages 14 and 15, were recruited via social media and surveyed online ( N = 1,981). At the individual level, girls who sexually harassed others, were more likely to have a propensity to respond to stimuli with anger compared to boys who sexually harassed. At the relational level, girls who sexually harassed were more likely to be victims of sexual harassment compared to boys, and having a negative peer environment (have delinquent peers, seen someone get attacked, and know someone who has been sexually assaulted) was of particular importance in understanding why girls harass others. For boys who harass, family relations, having seen or heard about peer physical or sexual assault and bullying perpetration were important for contextualizing boys’ sexual harassment. As empathy increased, the relative odds of sexually harassing decreased for girls. Future research should explore motivations for perpetrating sexual harassment, bystander interventions, and longitudinal frameworks to identify causal patterns to determine which factors inhibit or facilitate sexual harassment.

Hong Kong University Students’ Normative Beliefs about Aggression toward Police during Social Protests 2019–2020: The Role of Ecological Risks and Future Orientation

We examined the association between normative beliefs about aggression toward police (NBAGG→P) and participation in social protests during 2019–2020 and use of aggression among 1,025 Hong Kong university students. We also investigated the role of ecological risks (i.e., distrust in institutions, exposure to community violence, poor family monitoring, poor university discipline and affiliation with delinquent peers) and future orientation in NBAGG→P. The results showed that NBAGG→P was related to more participation in social protests and use of aggression. Ecological risks (except for poor family monitoring) and a positive future orientation were related to more and less NBAGG→P, respectively. Moreover, the “distrust in institutions and NBAGG→P” link was stronger for students with more, rather than less, positive future orientation.

Low Self-Control, Peer Delinquency, and Crime: Considering Gendered Pathways

Objectives: We extend prior research by considering how low self-control and peer delinquency may work together in a mediating process whereby low self-control increases association with delinquent peers, which in turn increases criminal offending. Further, we draw on gender crime research to suggest that the indirect effect of self-control on offending will be greater for boys than girls. Methods: We use three waves of data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods to test these hypotheses for violent offending, property offending, and substance use, using multi-group multilevel generalized structural equation models that address issues of time ordering, spuriousness, and the measurement of criminality. Results: The hypothesized mediation process is supported by our results. We also find that the indirect effect of low self-control on violence and property crime is greater for boys, primarily driven by a stronger effect of delinquent peers for boys. In contrast, and in support of expectations, the results for substance use reveal little gender difference. Conclusions: We conclude that rather than treating self-control and peer delinquency as competing explanations, we should view them as working together to affect crime and delinquency. Moreover, researchers must give careful attention to gender differences in the pathways to offending.

Peer Delinquency among Digital Natives: The Cyber Context as a Source of Peer Influence

Objectives: This study examines the influence of online peers who are not regularly seen in person by considering if online, pro-delinquent support is associated with self-reported delinquency independently of delinquent peers. Methods: Data come from a longitudinal, panel survey of two cohorts of middle and high school students located within six school districts (N = 1,177). Analyses first examine the overlap between online peer support for delinquency and perceived peer delinquency. Next, models consider how measures of online peer support for delinquency are associated with the prevalence (logit), variety (negative binomial), and changes (first difference) in self-reported delinquency. Results: Online peers generally do not enable exposure to new messages supportive of delinquency; rather, they supplement influences derived from delinquent peers. Little evidence was found that online peer support was associated with general delinquency and violence, although changes in online peer support were associated with changes in these outcomes. Partial evidence was found that online peers are associated with the prevalence, variety, and changes in self-reported theft and substance use. Conclusions: The influence from unique online peers is largely secondary to offline peers, although this depends upon the crime type under investigation.