Impact of negative emotions on financial behavior: An assessment through general strain theory

Research background: The research has two objectives and employs a serial mediation approach. First, using the general strain theory, it examines the mediating role of negative feelings and impact of economic adversity on people's risk tolerance and prudent financial behavior. The second is determining the various categories' variations according to age. Purpose of the article: The study's main objective is to evaluate financial behaviour of people with lower and medium incomes after the second wave of COVID-19 in India, and to contribute to the body of knowledge on general strain theory. Methods: The study examined the proposed framework and tested the serial mediation model based on the general strain theory used as a survey method for data collection, targeting lower and middle-income individuals in India's most populated state. The study applied PLS-SEM to test the framed hypotheses. Furthermore, the Kruskal Wallis test was applied to identify the difference in the various groups classified based on age. Findings & value added: The results reveal that economic hardship significantly influences improved financial behavior. Risk aversion attitude, loneliness, and depression mediate the relationship between economic hardship and financial behavior. Moreover, the study found quite a few significant differences between the different age groups. The present study will add to the existing literature on financial behavior under the scope of general strain theory and probably be among the few that test general strain theory with financial variables impact on lower and middle-income group individuals from a developing nation in post-COVID-19 period.

Assessing the effects of COVID-19-related stay-at-home orders on homicide rates in selected U.S. cities

Most U.S. states issued stay-at-home orders (SAHOs) to limit the spread of COVID-19 in 2020. These orders required people to remain in their residences except when undertaking essential activities. While SAHOs are a powerful public health tool against infectious diseases, they can have significant social and economic consequences. Grounded in general strain and routine activities theories and using interrupted time series analyses, this study assesses the effects of SAHOs on homicide rates in 10 U.S. cities. Substantive results suggest SAHOs were associated with changes in homicide rates in theoretically identifiable ways. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Problematic mobile phone use and cyberbullying perpetration in adolescents

The phenomenon of problematic mobile phone use has become increasingly common among adolescents during the lockdowns mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, research is still scarce on the impact of such use on delinquent cyberspace conduct (i.e. cyberbullying). This study applies the theoretical framework of general strain theory to examine how problematic mobile phone use affects the perpetration of cyberbullying. The results of this empirical examination of longitudinal survey data obtained from 2,161 adolescents in South Korea reveal that problematic mobile phone use is positively associated with engagement in cyberbullying. It is a type of strain that induces negative emotional states and results in the perpetration of cyberbullying. Furthermore, this study investigates the moderating roles of both traditional bullying experiences (i.e. traditional bullying and victimisation) in the association between problematic mobile phone use and the perpetration of cyberbullying. We found traditional bullying perpetration positively moderates the effects of problematic mobile phone use on cyberbullying. On the other hand, we found the moderating effect of traditional bullying victimisation of adolescents was insignificant.

Cyberbullying perpetration during the Covid-19 pandemic: A study on the relationship between strain, angerand parental support

The pandemic compelled more exposure to online media in different forms like online education, interactions, gaming, and collaboration, which aggravated the cyberbullying issue. Cyberbullying can now occur in several different mediums due to the renewed lifestyle challenges spawned by the pandemic. Hence, it is imperative to assess the antecedents of cyberbullying behaviour (CBB). General Strain Theory (GST) is taken as a grounded theory to understand the underlying mechanisms of strain and anger and their impact on deviant outcomes like CBB. The current study adds to the GST literature by investigating the association between stress and anger, leading to cyberbullying behaviour. The study also examines the extent to which parenting factors (monitoring, communication, and trust) moderate adolescents' involvement in cyberbullying. An online survey was used to collect data from 221 high school Indian students for this purpose. As per the results, there is a direct relationship between strain, anger, and cyberbullying. The study confirms an indirect relationship between strain and cyberbullying through anger. The findings suggest that parental influences are important in moderating the relationship between strain and anger in adolescent cyberbullying behaviour. The study recommends strategies for parents, educators, and healthcare providers when dealing with cyberbullying behaviour.

Changes in Online Illegal Drug Buying during COVID-19: Assessing Effects due to a Changing Market or Changes in Strain using a Longitudinal Sample Design.

This research uses longitudinal data to investigate if illegal online drug purchases changed over time during the COVID-19 pandemic, and if these changes were primarily driven by users adjusting to market conditions or by a heightened level of pandemic-induced strain that could drive a greater demand for drugs. Data were collected across four waves between fall 2019 and fall 2021 using an online survey. Data showed an increase in reported online drug purchases across the waves, but the online drug purchases remained consistent for the first year of the pandemic, but increased by approximately 44% between the fall 2020 and fall 2021 when over 13 percent of the sample admitted to buying illegal drugs online. Strain was also related to buying illegal drugs online as those respondents who made illegal online purchased had an average of 5.2 strain events in the past 12 months compared to only 2.4 events among those who did not report purchasing illegal drugs online. However, the influence of strain on online purchases remained consistent across time. These results suggest that the increase in online drug purchases was primarily driven by users adapting to changing market conditions rather than the cumulative strains associated with the pandemic producing a greater effect on purchases. Policy implications are also discussed.

Using General Strain Theory to Interpret Suicide in Arab Communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In this paper, General Strain Theory (GST) is used as the theoretical framework for an interpretation of suicide in Arab communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is argued that GST can predict both the most common types of suicide during the pandemic, and the sources of the social constraints which lead to suicide. The paper utilizes previous research on GST as a lens through which to explain crime and suicide in Asian communities, especially those Arab communities which have witnessed suicide cases. The role of GST in interpreting Arab suicides during the pandemic is clearly shown, and the most common type of suicide is identified. The paper concludes that GST can be used to explain suicide cases during the pandemic in Arab communities. Based on the data analysis, anomic and fatalistic types of suicide were found to be the most common. In light of these results, it is recommended that further national and global scale studies are needed to determine the levels of fear, anxiety and depression caused by natural and manmade social constraints during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to control and reduce them. © 2022 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved.

Problematic mobile phone use and cyberbullying perpetration in adolescents

The phenomenon of problematic mobile phone use has become increasingly common among adolescents during the lockdowns mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, research is still scarce on the impact of such use on delinquent cyberspace conduct (i.e. cyberbullying). This study applies the theoretical framework of general strain theory to examine how problematic mobile phone use affects the perpetration of cyberbullying. The results of this empirical examination of longitudinal survey data obtained from 2,161 adolescents in South Korea reveal that problematic mobile phone use is positively associated with engagement in cyberbullying. It is a type of strain that induces negative emotional states and results in the perpetration of cyberbullying. Furthermore, this study investigates the moderating roles of both traditional bullying experiences (i.e. traditional bullying and victimisation) in the association between problematic mobile phone use and the perpetration of cyberbullying. We found traditional bullying perpetration positively moderates the effects of problematic mobile phone use on cyberbullying. On the other hand, we found the moderating effect of traditional bullying victimisation of adolescents was insignificant. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Cyberbullying perpetration in the COVID-19 era: An application of general strain theory.

The world is currently grappling with the medical, psychological, economic, and behavioral consequences of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The existing research has rightly been focused on the medical contributions - treatment, symptoms, prevalence, etc. - which are paramount. A paucity of research has tested the psychological and behavioral consequences of COVID-19. In two cross-sectional studies of US adults, we posited that personal (e.g., being diagnosed with COVID-19) and proximal (e.g., knowing people with COVID-19) experiences with COVID-19 would be related to cyberbullying perpetration due to an increase in stress. Using path modeling, results showed that (a) personal and proximal COVID-19 experiences positively correlated with cyberbullying (Studies 1 and 2) and (b) personal COVID-19 experiences were indirectly related to cyberbullying through stress, but not proximal experiences (Study 2).

Exploring the Immediate Effects of COVID-19 Containment Policies on Crime: an Empirical Analysis of the Short-Term Aftermath in Los Angeles.

This work investigates whether and how COVID-19 containment policies had an immediate impact on crime trends in Los Angeles. The analysis is conducted using Bayesian structural time-series and focuses on nine crime categories and on the overall crime count, daily monitored from January 1st 2017 to March 28th 2020. We concentrate on two post-intervention time windows-from March 4th to March 16th and from March 4th to March 28th 2020-to dynamically assess the short-term effects of mild and strict policies. In Los Angeles, overall crime has significantly decreased, as well as robbery, shoplifting, theft, and battery. No significant effect has been detected for vehicle theft, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, intimate partner assault, and homicide. Results suggest that, in the first weeks after the interventions are put in place, social distancing impacts more directly on instrumental and less serious crimes. Policy implications are also discussed.