Cyberbullying is a phenomenon of growing social concern that affects an increasing number of children and adolescents from all the developed countries. Although there is a large body of literature on the relationships between school bullying and the family and school contexts, few studies have examined the influence of these social environments on the problem of cyberbullying. Using a quantitative methodology, the main objective of this study was to analyse the influence of the school and family contexts on victims of cyberbullying. The sample consisted of 1,062 Spanish adolescents (51.5% boys and 48.5% girls) from 11 to 18 years old (M=14.5; SD=1.62). Three comparison groups were formed: severe cyberbullying victims, moderate cyberbullying victims, and non-victims of cyberbullying. The results of the analysis of variance indicated that severe cyberbullying victims, compared to non-victims, scored significantly higher on family conflict and obtained lower scores on the remaining family (family self-concept, cohesion and expressive¬ness) and school (involvement, affiliation, and teacher support) variables considered in the study. Regression analyses revealed that academic and family self-concept and some dimensions of family and school climate predict cyber-victimization in adolescence. These new results point to the importance of including the family and the school in cyberbullying prevention programs.El ciberacoso es un fenómeno de creciente preocupación social que afecta cada vez más a niños y adolescentes de todos los países desarrollados. A diferencia de la considerable literatura que hay sobre las relaciones entre el acoso escolar y el contexto familiar y escolar, todavía hay pocos trabajos sobre la influencia de estos entornos sociales en el problema del ciberacoso. Mediante una metodología cuantitativa, el objetivo principal del presente estudio fue analizar la influencia del contexto escolar y familiar en víctimas de ciberacoso. La muestra estuvo formada por 1.062 adolescentes (51,5% chicos y 48,5% chicas), de edades comprendidas entre los 12 y los 18 años (M=14,5; DT=1,62). Se establecieron tres grupos de contraste: cibervíctimas severas, cibervíctimas moderadas y no víctimas de ciberacoso. Los resultados del análisis de varianza indicaron que las cibervíctimas severas en comparación con las no víctimas puntúan significativamente más alto en conflicto familiar y obtienen puntuaciones más bajas en el resto de variables familiares (autoestima familiar, cohesión y expresividad), y variables escolares (implicación, afiliación y ayuda al profesor), consideradas en el estudio. Los análisis de regresión revelaron que la autoestima académica y familiar y algunas dimensiones del clima familiar y escolar predicen la cibervictimización en la adolescencia. Estos novedosos resultados muestran la importancia de incluir a la familia y a la escuela en los programas de prevención del ciberacoso.

The internet has been a breakthrough for adolescents in many ways, but its use can also become dysfunctional and problematic, leading to consequences for personal well-being. The main objective is to analyze profiles related to problematic internet use and its relationship with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). An analytical and cross-sectional study was carried out in a region of northern Spain. The sample comprised 12,285 participants. Sampling was random and representative. Mean age and standard deviation was 14.69 ± 1.73 (11–18 years). The Spanish versions of the Problematic and Generalized Internet Use Scale (GPIUS2) and of the Health-Related Quality of Life (KIDSCREEN-27) were used. Four profiles were detected (non-problematic use, mood regulator, problematic internet use, and severe problematic use). The prevalence of these last two profiles was 18.5% and 4.9%, respectively. Problematic internet use correlated negatively and significantly with HRQoL. The severe problematic use profile presented a significant decrease in all dimensions of HRQoL. Analyses were carried out to extract a cut-off point for GPIUS2 (52 points). The results and practical implications are discussed.

Cyberbullying has become a growing social concern among the scientific community and in society in general. The consequences of cyberbullying for the victim are quite serious; many indicators of social maladjustment have been found, with suicide ideation being especially noteworthy. From this perspective, the main objective of this study was to analyze the relationships between cybervictimization and suicide ideation in adolescent victims of cyberbullying through the psychosocial maladjustment variables of loneliness, depressive symptomatology, perceived stress, and psychological distress. Participants in this study were 1,062 adolescents (547 boys, 515 girls), ranging in age from 12 to 18 years old (M = 14.51, SD = 1.62). The structural equations model showed that cybervictimization is directly and indirectly related to suicide ideation. Indirect relationships were found to have a greater effect on suicide ideation than the direct effects of cybervictimization. The relevance of these results for scientific research are discussed, as well as their implications for future scientific studies. El ciberacoso escolar suscita una creciente preocupación social en la comunidad científica y en la sociedad en general. Las consecuencias del mismo en la víctima son muy serias: se han encontrado numerosos indicadores de desajuste social, entre los cuales destaca la ideación suicida. Desde esta perspectiva, el objetivo principal de este trabajo ha sido analizar las relaciones entre la cibervictimización y la ideación suicida en adolescentes víctimas de ciberacoso escolar a través de las variables de desajuste psicosocial de soledad, sintomatología depresiva, estrés percibido y malestar psicológico. En esta investigación participaron 1,062 adolescentes (547 chicos y 515 chicas), con un rango de edad que oscila entre los 12 y 18 años (M = 14.51, DT = 1.62). El modelo de ecuaciones estructurales mostró que la cibervictimización se relaciona directa e indirectamente con la ideación suicida. Las relaciones indirectas mostraron tener un efecto más elevado sobre la ideación suicida que los efectos directos de la cibervictimización. Se discute la relevancia de estos resultados para la investigación científica, así como sus implicaciones para futuros trabajos científicos.

Due to the negative consequences of being bullied and the increase in cyberbullying among adolescents, there is a need for evidence-based programs to prevent and intervene in these types of peer violence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Prev@cib bullying and cyberbullying program, drawing on three theoretical frameworks: the ecological model, empowerment theory, and the model of personal and social responsibility. The Prev@cib program was evaluated using a repeated-measures pre-post-test design with an experimental group and a control group. The sample consisted of 660 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old (M = 13.58, SD = 1.26), randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Repeated-measures ANOVA of pre-post-test scores were conducted. Results showed a significant decrease in bullying and victimization and cyberbullying and cybervictimization in the experimental group, compared to the control group, indicating that the Prev@cib program is effective in reducing bullying and cyberbullying. Taking into account the harmful effects of these types of violence, the results have important implications in the prevention of these behaviors because they provide scientific evidence of the program’s effectiveness.

Cyber dating violence is an increasing problem with serious negative consequences for adolescents. Further knowledge about related variables is necessary to develop preventive strategies. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlations among cyber dating violence victimization (cyber-control and cyber-aggression), offline dating violence victimization (physical, verbal–emotional, and relational) and adolescents’ beliefs in myths of romantic love; and to examine possible differences in cyber-control victimization, cyber-aggression victimization and offline dating violence victimization (relational, physical and verbal–emotional) according to adolescents’ levels of belief (low vs. high) in myths of romantic love. The role of offline dating violence victimization (physical, verbal–emotional and relational) and romantic myths as predictor variables of cyber-control and cyber-aggression victimization was also explored. All these analyses were carried out separately with boys and girls. Of an initial sample of 919 adolescents, those who have had a dating relationship in the past year (492 adolescents, M = 15.10, SD = 1.59) were included. The regression analyses revealed that offline dating violence victimization and romantic myths were significant predictors of cyber-control and cyber-aggression victimization for both boys and girls, but explained variance was higher for girls. Verbal–emotional offline dating violence victimization was the main predictor of cyber-control victimization, and physical and relational offline dating violence victimizations were the main predictors of cyber-aggression victimization. These results can be useful for developing more effective offline and cyber dating violence prevention programs.

Background: Loot boxes are an increasingly common type of random microtransaction in videogames. There is some concern about their expansion and entailed risks, especially among adolescents. The actual prevalence of engagement with loot boxes among child and adult population is uncertain, and there is still controversy over the nature of their relationship with problematic gaming and gambling.Objectives: The aims of this scoping review are to summarize the characteristics and findings of published primary empirical studies about the prevalence of engagement with loot boxes and/or their relationship with problematic gaming and gambling, taking in account the type of sample, time frame and measured variables.Methods: This study follows the Joanna Briggs Institute’s “Guidance for conducting systematic scoping reviews” and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Three academic databases provided 299 articles.Results: Sixteen primary empirical studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. All studies used cross-sectional designs, and most used convenience samples. Twelve study samples were comprised exclusively of gamers, and two were comprised of gamers and/or gamblers. Only six studies included adolescents. The annual prevalence rate of loot box purchases was higher for adult gamers than for adolescents (22.7%–44.2% and 20%–33.9%, respectively), but in studies with general population samples, the opposite was true (24.9% for players aged 13–14 versus 7.8% for adults). In general, the studies suggested a significant positive relationship between engagement with loot boxes and problematic gaming and gambling, but this may be related to the type of engagement (open/purchase/sell), and the characteristics of the study participants (male/female, adolescents/adults, gamers/gamers-gamblers/general population).Conclusions: This scoping review summarizes the results of recent empirical studies on engagement with loot boxes and discusses how methodological issues may affect their results and interpretation. Recommendations for future research are also provided.