International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Research

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16 pages, 1341 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Associations between Sibling Victimization, Sibling Bullying, Parental Acceptance–Rejection, and School Bullying

by Aiche Sabah, Musheer A. Aljaberi, Chung-Ying Lin and Hsin-Pao Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16346; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316346 - 6 Dec 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3327

Abstract

Bullying has been identified as the most common form of aggression experienced by school-age youth. However, it is still unclear about the family’s influence on school bullying. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the associations between sibling bullying and school bullying, sibling [...] Read more.

Bullying has been identified as the most common form of aggression experienced by school-age youth. However, it is still unclear about the family’s influence on school bullying. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the associations between sibling bullying and school bullying, sibling victimization and school victimization, and parental acceptance–rejection and school bullying victimization. The study was cross-sectional and conducted on a sample of students aged between 11 and 20 years recruited from middle schools in Algeria. The study used a survey adopted from the scale of Sibling Bullying, Student Survey of Bullying Behavior—Revised 2, and the Survey of parental acceptance–rejection in collecting the data. The model’s results assessing the association between sibling bullying and school bullying demonstrated that the effect of sibling physical and sibling verbal victims on school victimization was statistically significant. Despite the non-significant effect of sibling emotional victims on school victimization, the effect of sibling physical and sibling verbal bullying on school bullying was statistically significant. However, the effect of sibling emotional bullying on school bullying was not statistically significant. The direct effect of parental acceptance on school victimization was not statistically significant, whereas the effect of parental rejection on school victimization was statistically significant. The direct effect of parental acceptance on school bullying was not statistically significant, while the effect of parental rejection on school bullying was statistically significant. Based on the results, this study provides insights into the understanding of how the family and siblings contribute to school bullying. In particular, sibling victimization, sibling bullying, and parental acceptance–rejection are predictive factors of school bullying among adolescents. Future research should take into account factors based on family to explore the risks of school bullying. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children's Well-Being and Violence against Children: Psychosocial and Public Health Aspects)

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13 pages, 385 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sexual Violence against Adolescents in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil: An Analysis of Reported Cases

by Mayara Alves Luis, Franciéle Marabotti Costa Leite, Nicole Letourneau, Nátaly Adriana Jiménez Monroy, Luciana Graziela de Godoi and Luís Carlos Lopes-Júnior

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14481; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114481 - 4 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2614

Abstract

Objective: We describe the prevalence of the reported cases of sexual violence against adolescents and analyze their associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study (n = 561) was conducted with reported data on sexual violence against adolescents in the state of Espírito [...] Read more.

Objective: We describe the prevalence of the reported cases of sexual violence against adolescents and analyze their associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study (n = 561) was conducted with reported data on sexual violence against adolescents in the state of Espírito Santo registered in SINAN between 2011 and 2018 to understand the prevalence and predictors of sexual violence against adolescent victims, as well as to describe the perpetrators and the nature of the aggression. Variables to characterize the victim, aggression, and perpetrator were used. Bivariate analyses were performed using chi-square (χ²) and Fisher’s exact tests, and multivariate analyses were conducted using log-binomial models; the results were presented with prevalence ratios. All analyses were stratified by sex. Results: The prevalence of sexual violence was 32.6%, and 93% of the victims were female. In both males and females, the reported sexual violence was associated with a younger age (10–12 years old), living at home, being related to the perpetrator, and a history of sexual violence. In females, the reported sexual violence was also associated with the number of perpetrators, and in males, with the perpetrator’s age. Conclusions: Our findings show the high frequency of reporting of sexual violence and the characteristics of the victim, the aggression, and the aggressor as factors associated with its occurrence in both sexes. The importance of health information systems for disseminating data and the need for measures to prevent and treat the violence among adolescents is urgent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children's Well-Being and Violence against Children: Psychosocial and Public Health Aspects)

10 pages, 372 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Sexual Violence against Children in a Brazilian State

by Márcia Regina de Oliveira Pedroso and Franciéle Marabotti Costa Leite

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 9838; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169838 - 10 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1362

Abstract

Sexual violence is one of the forms of violence against children worldwide. Understanding its magnitude and its associated factors is essential to promote effective protection policies to childhood. The objective was to verify the prevalence and analyze the factors associated with sexual violence [...] Read more.

Sexual violence is one of the forms of violence against children worldwide. Understanding its magnitude and its associated factors is essential to promote effective protection policies to childhood. The objective was to verify the prevalence and analyze the factors associated with sexual violence against children in a Brazilian state. This is a cross-sectional study analyzing data from reported cases of violence against children in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, between 2011 and 2018. The characteristics of the victim, perpetrator and aggression were studied, and the associations were analyzed using Poisson regression. The frequency of sexual violence was 41.8% and was more prevalent in girls, in the age groups 3 to 5 and 6 to 9 years old, in white ethnicity/color and in the urban area. The offenders were mainly men, known to the victim and occurred mainly in the residence. Sexual violence was the most reported violence among children in Espírito Santo, occurring within their circle of trust, demonstrating the need to provide support for families and to advance public policies to guarantee children’s rights. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children's Well-Being and Violence against Children: Psychosocial and Public Health Aspects)

12 pages, 749 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Parent–Child Conflict on Psychological Distress among Chinese Adolescents: Moderating Effects of School Connectedness and Neighborhood Disorder

by Zhiyou Wang and Ji-Kang Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9397; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159397 - 31 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1514

Abstract

Previous empirical studies have found that not all adolescents showed a high level of psychological distress when facing parent–child conflict, which implies that there could be some additional moderating variables in this pair association. School connectedness and neighborhood disorder have been regarded as [...] Read more.

Previous empirical studies have found that not all adolescents showed a high level of psychological distress when facing parent–child conflict, which implies that there could be some additional moderating variables in this pair association. School connectedness and neighborhood disorder have been regarded as possible moderators of this relationship, but empirical evidence is lacking. The participants in this study included 971 students from two middle schools (grades 7–9) and two high schools (grades 10–12) and their parents in the City of Y, Shanxi Province, in mainland China. The PROCESS macro was used to conduct the moderation analysis. The results revealed that both school connectedness and neighborhood disorder significantly moderated the association of parent–child conflict with adolescent psychological distress. These findings highlighted the significance of increasing school connectedness and decreasing neighborhood disorder to alleviate adolescent psychological distress, thereby contributing to related policies and interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children's Well-Being and Violence against Children: Psychosocial and Public Health Aspects)

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11 pages, 756 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Racial Discrimination to Bullying Behavior among White and Black Adolescents in the USA: From Parents’ Perspectives

by Jun Sung Hong, Dong Ha Kim, Robert Thornberg, Sebastian Wachs and Michelle F. Wright

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(12), 7084; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127084 - 9 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2267

Abstract

The present study proposes and tests pathways by which racial discrimination might be positively related to bullying victimization among Black and White adolescents. Data were derived from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, a national survey that provides data on children’s physical [...] Read more.

The present study proposes and tests pathways by which racial discrimination might be positively related to bullying victimization among Black and White adolescents. Data were derived from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, a national survey that provides data on children’s physical and mental health and their families. Data were collected from households with one or more children between June 2016 to February 2017. A letter was sent to randomly selected households, who were invited to participate in the survey. The caregivers consisted of 66.9% females and 33.1% males for the White sample, whose mean age was 47.51 (SD = 7.26), and 76.8% females and 23.2% males for the Black sample, whose mean age was 47.61 (SD = 9.71). In terms of the adolescents, 49.0% were females among the White sample, whose mean age was 14.73 (SD = 1.69). For Black adolescents, 47.9% were females and the mean age was 14.67(SD = 1.66). Measures for the study included bullying perpetration, racial discrimination, academic disengagement, and socio-demographic variables of the parent and child. Analyses included descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and structural path analyses. For adolescents in both racial groups, racial discrimination appears to be positively associated with depression, which was positively associated with bullying perpetration. For White adolescents, racial discrimination was positively associated with academic disengagement, which was also positively associated with bullying perpetration. For Black adolescents, although racial discrimination was not significantly associated with academic disengagement, academic disengagement was positively associated with bullying perpetration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children's Well-Being and Violence against Children: Psychosocial and Public Health Aspects)

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14 pages, 405 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Associations between Coping Strategies and Cyberhate Involvement: Evidence from Adolescents across Three World Regions

by Sebastian Wachs, Juan Manuel Machimbarrena, Michelle F. Wright, Manuel Gámez-Guadix, Soeun Yang, Ruthaychonnee Sittichai, Ritu Singh, Ramakrishna Biswal, Katerina Flora, Vassiliki Daskalou, Evdoxia Maziridou, Jun Sung Hong and Norman Krause

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(11), 6749; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116749 - 31 May 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2190

Abstract

Cyberhate represents a risk to adolescents’ development and peaceful coexistence in democratic societies. Yet, not much is known about the relationship between adolescents’ ability to cope with cyberhate and their cyberhate involvement. To fill current gaps in the literature and inform the development [...] Read more.

Cyberhate represents a risk to adolescents’ development and peaceful coexistence in democratic societies. Yet, not much is known about the relationship between adolescents’ ability to cope with cyberhate and their cyberhate involvement. To fill current gaps in the literature and inform the development of media education programs, the present study investigated various coping strategies in a hypothetical cyberhate scenario as correlates for being cyberhate victims, perpetrators, and both victim–perpetrators. The sample consisted of 6829 adolescents aged 12–18 years old (M_age = 14.93, SD = 1.64; girls: 50.4%, boys: 48.9%, and 0.7% did not indicate their gender) from Asia, Europe, and North America. Results showed that adolescents who endorsed distal advice or endorsed technical coping showed a lower likelihood to be victims, perpetrators, or victim–perpetrators. In contrast, if adolescents felt helpless or endorsed retaliation to cope with cyberhate, they showed higher odds of being involved in cyberhate as victims, perpetrators, or victim–perpetrators. Finally, adolescents who endorsed close support as a coping strategy showed a lower likelihood to be victim–perpetrators, and adolescents who endorsed assertive coping showed higher odds of being victims. In conclusion, the results confirm the importance of addressing adolescents’ ability to deal with cyberhate to develop more tailored prevention approaches. More specifically, such initiatives should focus on adolescents who feel helpless or feel inclined to retaliate. In addition, adolescents should be educated to practice distal advice and technical coping when experiencing cyberhate. Implications for the design and instruction of evidence-based cyberhate prevention (e.g., online educational games, virtual learning environments) will be discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children's Well-Being and Violence against Children: Psychosocial and Public Health Aspects)

19 pages, 1086 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Correlates of Academic Stress in Hong Kong

by Esther Pui Yung Chyu and Ji-Kang Chen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(7), 4009; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074009 - 28 Mar 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 7450

Abstract

Most previous studies have attempted to explore how different personal, familial, or school factors are linked to academic stress in Western countries. However, relatively less research has incorporated these different factors into one model to examine the most crucial correlate(s) that predict academic [...] Read more.

Most previous studies have attempted to explore how different personal, familial, or school factors are linked to academic stress in Western countries. However, relatively less research has incorporated these different factors into one model to examine the most crucial correlate(s) that predict academic stress, particularly in the East Asian context, where the level of academic stress among adolescents is high. This study examined how perfectionism, social-oriented achievement motivation, parental aspiration for achievement, parent–child relationship, emphasis on academics in school, and school climate work together to predict academic stress in Hong Kong. One thousand eight hundred and four students from eight secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in this study. The results indicate that perfectionism, social-oriented achievement motivation, parent–child relationships, and emphasis on academics in school have significant associations with academic stress, while perfectionism and social-oriented achievement motivation, the two factors from the personal domain, are the dominant drivers of academic stress. In addition, these findings applied to both genders. As the significant correlates come from the personal, familial, and school domains, this study recommends multilevel interventions for decreasing the level of academic stress. In addition, this study also suggests further research directions to examine the psychosocial mechanism between the correlates and academic stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children's Well-Being and Violence against Children: Psychosocial and Public Health Aspects)

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Review

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16 pages, 661 KiB

Open AccessReview

Harsh Physical Discipline and Externalizing Behaviors in Children: A Systematic Review

by Marthe Wiggers and Fred Paas

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14385; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114385 - 3 Nov 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3496

Abstract

There is growing debate in the parenting literature as to whether using physical punishment to discipline children is an effective strategy or leads to the development of aggressive behaviors and other antisocial attributes. The aim of the current literature review is to examine [...] Read more.

There is growing debate in the parenting literature as to whether using physical punishment to discipline children is an effective strategy or leads to the development of aggressive behaviors and other antisocial attributes. The aim of the current literature review is to examine the association between harsh physical discipline and the development of externalizing behaviors in children, as well as the suggested moderators of this relationship. Secondly, the findings regarding the effects of harsh physical discipline on children’s educational outcomes are reviewed. Articles were selected from relevant databases while maintaining an inclusion and exclusion criteria, with a total of 22 articles included in this review. Strong associations between parental corporal punishment and a range of child behaviors were indicated by the literature, and cultural normativeness was implicated as a moderator of these effects. Results regarding the role of parental warmth as a moderator did not provide a firm conclusion. Finally, the findings suggest that when a child is subjected to physical discipline in the home, their life at school may be adversely affected by impaired cognitive performance, peer isolation, and behavioral problems. The primary limitation of the studies reviewed is the use of self-report data and correlational analyses, ruling out the possibility of inferring causal relations. Nonetheless, the results indicate the necessity of encouraging parents and caregivers to avoid physical punishment as a disciplinary tactic while providing them with the tools to explore alternative practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Children's Well-Being and Violence against Children: Psychosocial and Public Health Aspects)

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