Does bullying victimization really influence adolescents' psychosocial problems? A three-wave longitudinal study in China.

BACKGROUND: Traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization are associated with adolescents' mental health problems, but the temporal sequence of these relations remains unclear. The present study analyzed the temporal and reciprocal relationships between both types of bullying victimization and six frequent psychosocial problems during adolescence: depression, general anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, social anxiety, and loneliness. METHODS: A total of 661 Chinese adolescents in grades 7 and 8 at the initial wave of the study responded to the survey items assessing their bullying victimization experiences and self-reported psychosocial problems. This research was conducted at three separate time points, over a year and a half period. RESULTS: Bullying victimization did not predict adolescents' psychosocial problems. Instead, adolescents with psychosocial problems were more likely to experience bullying victimization. Depression and general anxiety were two common predictors of traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization. Stress was a specific predictor of traditional bullying victimization, whereas self-esteem, social anxiety, and loneliness were specific predictors of cyberbullying victimization. Psychosocial problems did not differentially predict the two types of bullying victimization. Boys with higher levels of loneliness were more likely than girls to experience cyberbullying victimization. LIMITATIONS: The present study is limited in terms of its sample selection and self-reported instruments. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes adolescents' psychosocial problems as the potential risk factors for their future bullying victimization. Education professionals should pay special attention to adolescents' mental health problems when formulating bullying interventions and programs.

Are Narcissists More Likely to Be Involved in Cyberbullying? Examining the Mediating Role of Self-Esteem.

Although cyberbullying, a new type of aggressive behavior via electronic means, has been found to be strongly linked with individuals' personality characteristics, few studies to date have investigated its relationship with narcissism, especially overt and covert narcissism. The current study tested the associations between overt and covert narcissism on one hand and cyberbullying perpetration and victimization on the other. To explain these differences further, self-esteem was tested as a mediator through which the two types of narcissism may exert their influences on cyberbullying. An anonymous questionnaire was completed by 814 Chinese adolescents aged 11 to 18. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that after controlling for gender and student status (middle or high school students), covert narcissism positively predicted both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization, whereas overt narcissism had no association with either perpetration or victimization. Furthermore, when gender and student status were controlled, self-esteem mediated the relationships between overt/covert narcissism and cyberbullying perpetration and victimization, highlighting the possibility that self-esteem is an explanatory mechanism for the associations between the two types of narcissism and cyberbullying. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing engagement in cyberbullying may be more urgent and important for individuals with high levels of covert narcissism. Boosting self-esteem needs to be particularly highlighted in developing anti-bullying measures and policies.

Stability and Change of Bullying Roles in the Traditional and Virtual Contexts: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study in Chinese Early Adolescents.

Traditional bullying and cyberbullying are two prevalent phenomena among adolescents around the world. Typically, bullying incidents involve distinct perpetrator and victim roles. However, the question whether participants' roles in bullying situation remain stable or changeable is unclear. The present study examined the developmental stability and change of bullying roles by simultaneously investigating adolescents' bullying behaviors both in the traditional and virtual contexts. Participants were 661 seventh- and eighth-grade students (39.0% girls) aged 11-15 years (M = 12.86, SD = .73) in China. They completed a survey measuring their experiences in perpetration and victimization of traditional bullying and cyberbullying at three time points with 6-month intervals. A cross-lagged panel design was used to test for the temporal sequence of research variables. The results showed a moderate consistency in the bullying roles that students took on (i.e., perpetrator and victim) over time. Traditional bullying perpetrators continued to bully others online, whereas cyberbullying victims continued to be bullied offline. Regarding role change in bullying, perpetrators and victims did not change their roles in traditional bullying situation, but they tended to change their roles to the opposites in cyberbullying situation. Traditional bullying victims were more likely to become cyberbullying perpetrators, and vice versa. Traditional bullying perpetrators also had a greater tendency of being bullied online, but not vice versa. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing adolescents' bullying behaviors should focus on the stability and change of bullying roles in the traditional and virtual contexts.

5-p-Tolyl-1H-tetra-zole.

The title compound, C(8)H(8)N(4), possesses crystallographic mirror symmetry, with four C atoms lying on the reflecting plane, which bis-ects the phenyl and tetra-zole rings. It is composed of a planar r.m.s. deviation (0.0012 Å) tetra-zole ring which is nearly coplanar with the benzene ring, the dihedral angle being 2.67 (9)°. In the crystal, symmetry-related mol-ecules are linked by inter-molecular N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds. The mol-ecules stack along [100] with a π⋯π inter-action involving the phenyl and tetra-zole rings of adjacent mol-ecules [centroid-centroid distance = 3.5639 (15) Å]. The H atom of the N-H group is disordered over two sites of equal occupancy. The methyl H atoms were modelled as disordered over two sets of sites of equal occupancy rotated by 60° with respect to each other.

2-Carb-oxy-1-phenyl-ethanaminium nitrate.

In the title salt, C(9)H(12)NO(2) (+)·NO(3) (-), the cation and anion are linked by a bifurcated N-H⋯(O,O) hydrogen bond. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter-molecular N-H⋯O, O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which connect neighbouring cations and anions, resulting in a two-dimensional network.