engleski

Characteristics of cyber-violence - an overview of seven years of research

Since 2012 a small research team from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek, along with associates and graduate students, explores peer cyber-violence. The general description of this phenomenon is violence among children via the Internet and by information-communication technology. Initial researches were carried out using the scales of Cetin, Yaman, and Paker (2011). We developed The Committing and Experiencing Cyber-Violence Scale to overcome the perceived shortcomings of the scale developed by Cetin et al. (2011) like including outdated behaviours or too general descriptions. In the fall of 2015, the data were obtained from 5776 sixth and eighth-grade primary school students and second and fourth- grade secondary school students (quota sampling of Republic of Croatia, 52% females, age: M=14, 8, SD=2, 25). Data gathered from earlier researches, from grand national survey, as well as data from recent, smaller researches, indicate that more than a quarter of children and youth are involved in cyber-violence, while this percentage is significant decreases in young adult age. More than half of participants (55, 2%) admit that they have gossiped another person via Internet, while only 4, 8% said that they have sent purposely virus via email at least once. Those involved in cyber-violence have more unfavorable features in terms of social support, perceived parental warmth, strategies of dealing with stress and empathy, and are more involved in traditional peer violence (bullying). Children and youth categorized as perpetrators/victims have shown the most unfavorable developmental outcomes compare to children uninvolved in cyber- violence) – they showed higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress and lower levels of self-esteem. Considering personality traits, Psychopathy from the Dark Triad Model has shown to have an important role in explained variance of the committing of cyber-violence. Also, psychopathy has shown to be a mediator between conscientiousness (from the HEXACO personality model) and the committing of cyber-violence. Data were analysed with t-test, ANOVA and HRA. Another research on adolescents’ cyber-violence is still underway (data collected online, 584 adolescents, of which 50.7% are girls). Committing of cyber-violence will be explained according to Jessor's Model of Problematic behavior. Preliminary data of this research will, also, be presented (relation with problematic gaming and sexting, and individual and family factors according to Jessor's model). Collected data indicates that cyber-violence is associated with other risky behaviors, and with numerous factors and outcomes that are commonly associated with risky (especially violent) behaviors. It is important to implement prevention programs (e.g. program in fifth grades of elementary school in Osijek developed by authors and their colleagues) as a way of reducing cyber-violence.

cyber-violence, risky behavior, adolescents, young adults

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