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Youth School Violence and the Impact of Social Environment

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 15873

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Dr. Cecilia Ruiz Esteban

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Guest Editor

Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: bullying; cyberbullying; school violence; education; university; attention to diversity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Inmaculada Méndez Mateo

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Guest Editor

Department of Evolutionary Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Interests: bullying; cyberbullying; coexistence; education; university; attention to diversity; older adults
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Dear Colleagues,

Authors indicate that school violence, bullying and cyberbullying remains a serious problem throughout a youth’s development. The psychological consequences that bullying carries for victims, but also for perpetrators and witnesses have warranted concern worldwide. This recognition of school violence as a problem has yielded changes in its social consideration and an increase in interventions but more research is still needed. School violence can take many forms, including verbal or physical behavior, isolation, face to face or online but no one doubts the importance of the social environment in the development of the bully phenomenon. In this issue studies should shed new light on our understanding of youth school violence, exploring topics such as how bullying or cyberbullying behavior varies by context, the roles of parents, friends and witnesses, and new emerging preventing interventions. The literature provides little consistency in predictors assessed and replication is needed for clarification, however, social problems and conduct problems are consistent risk factors and a potential focus for future interventions. Empirical, quantitative research is preferred, but meta-analyses and systematic reviews are also welcome as they will help synthesize extant research to guide future endeavors. From the perspective of Sustainable Development Goals for example, “Goal 3: Quality education” and “Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies” new prevention program in education could provide a contribution in the near future. Researches on prevention program are also welcome.

Dr. Cecilia Ruiz Esteban
Dr. Inmaculada Méndez
Guest Editors

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Keywords

bullying
school violence
social environment
youth
psychological sustainability
prevention

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 328 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Coping Strategies against Peer Victimization: Differences According to Gender, Grade, Victimization Status and Perceived Classroom Social Climate

by María-Jesús Cava, Ester Ayllón and Inés Tomás

Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2605; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13052605 - 01 Mar 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2394

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include “Good Health and Well-being” (SDG3) and “Quality Education” (SDG4). Nevertheless, many students cannot achieve these goals if they suffer peer victimization at their schools, and intervention programs to reduce it are necessary. These programs should consider the possible differences in the coping strategies preferred by students according to some personal (e.g., gender, grade, victimization status) and contextual (e.g., perceived classroom social climate) factors to be more effective. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the possible differences in the coping strategies preferred by students (ask a friend for help, ask a teacher for help, ask parents for help, not ask anyone for help, fighting back, avoid the aggressor and ask the aggressor why) to handle situations of relational, physical and verbal peer victimization according to their gender, school grade, victimization status and perceived classroom social climate. The sample comprised 479 students (52.2% boys, 47.8% girls) aged from 9 to 14 years (M = 11.21, SD = 1.52). The results showed that girls chose the strategies of asking friends or adults for help and asking the aggressor why more than boys, while boys chose the strategies of fighting back and not ask anyone for help more than girls. The coping strategy of asking a teacher for help was preferred more by students of lower school grades and by students with a positive perception of the classroom climate. Victimized students preferred the strategy of not asking anyone for help. These results may be useful for developing more effective intervention programs. These programs should aim to enhance the teacher–student relationship in upper school grades, help victimized students to inform about peer aggression situations and improve perceived classroom social climate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Youth School Violence and the Impact of Social Environment)

10 pages, 483 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Profiles of Mobile Phone Use, Cyberbullying, and Emotional Intelligence in Adolescents

by Inmaculada Méndez, Ana Belén Jorquera, Cecilia Ruiz Esteban and José Manuel García-Fernández

Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9404; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12229404 - 12 Nov 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3040

Abstract

The use of mobile phones has great benefits for communication. However, evidence has shown that problematic use, such as cyberbullying, can also be associated with mobile phones. In this sense, emotional regulation plays an important role. The objective of this study was to identify different groups that varied in terms of conflicts related to problematic mobile phone use (namely, maladaptive communication and emotional patterns). Furthermore, the study aimed to examine whether there were significant differences in the dimensions of emotional intelligence and cyberbullying between adolescents with a mobile phone use problem. The study participants were 810 students aged between 12 and 16 years. The Emotional Coefficient Inventory questionnaire about cyberbullying and a questionnaire on experiences related to mobile phones were used. The cluster analysis identified three different types of mobile phone use: A group displaying no problematic use, a group displaying moderately problematic use, and a group displaying problematic use. The study results motivate carrying out stress management programs, emotional re-education, and other actions that reinforce emotional intelligence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Youth School Violence and the Impact of Social Environment)

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17 pages, 1864 KiB

Open AccessArticle

What If Violent Behavior Was a Coping Strategy? Approaching a Model Based on Artificial Neural Networks

by Juan Pedro Martínez Ramón and Francisco Manuel Morales Rodríguez

Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7396; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12187396 - 09 Sep 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2451

Abstract

The aggressor sets in motion dysfunctional and violent behaviors with others in the dynamic of bullying. These behaviors can be understood as misfit coping strategies in response to environmental demands perceived as stressful, putting at risk the quality of education. The aim of this study was to develop a predictive model based on artificial neural networks (ANN) to forecast a violent coping strategy based on perceived stress, resilience, other coping strategies and various socio-demographic variables. For this purpose, the Stress Coping Questionnaire (SCQ), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) were administered to 283 participants from the educational field (71.5% women). The design was cross-sectional. An inferential analysis (multilayer perception ANN) was performed with SPSS version 24. The results showed a predictive model that took into consideration the subject’s stress levels, personal assessment and strategies such as negative self-targeting or avoidance to predict open emotional expression (a coping strategy defined by violent behaviors) in approximately four out of five cases. The conclusions emphasis the need for considering problem solving, stress management and coping skills to prevent school violence and improve the social environment through sustainable psychological measures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Youth School Violence and the Impact of Social Environment)

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14 pages, 501 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Latent Profiles of Anxious Children and Their Differences in Aggressive Behavior

by Aitana Fernández-Sogorb, Ricardo Sanmartín, María Vicent and José Manuel García-Fernández

Sustainability 2020, 12(15), 6199; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12156199 - 31 Jul 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2370

Abstract

Children tend to develop forms of anxiety that can be associated with school violence. However, the previous scientific literature on anxiety and aggression is scarce. In addition, it has only focused on examining differential relationships between both variables. This study aimed to analyze the relationships between three forms of anxiety (anticipatory anxiety, school-based performance anxiety, and generalized anxiety) and the components of aggression (physical and verbal aggression, anger, and hostility) by adopting a person-centered approach. The sample consisted of 1161 Spanish students from 8 to 11 years old (M = 9.72, SD = 1.14); 46.2% were boys. Informed written consent from the parents or legal guardians was obtained. The Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety—Revised and the Aggression Questionnaire were used. The latent profile analysis technique identified three profiles of anxious children: Low Anxiety, High School-based Performance Anxiety, and High Anxiety. The High Anxiety group scored significantly higher than the Low Anxiety group in all components of aggression, with effect sizes ranging from moderate to large (d = 0.59 to 0.99). The High Anxiety profile showed significantly higher scores than the high school-based performance anxiety profile only in anger (d = 0.56) and hostility (d = 0.44). The results have relevant implications for practice, since there is evidence that different intervention strategies should be applied according to the risk profile. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Youth School Violence and the Impact of Social Environment)

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14 pages, 308 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cyberbullying in Adolescents from Ecuador and Spain: Prevalence and Differences in Gender, School Year and Ethnic-Cultural Background

by Juan Calmaestra, Antonio J. Rodríguez-Hidalgo, Oswaldo Mero-Delgado and Eva Solera

Sustainability 2020, 12(11), 4597; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12114597 - 04 Jun 2020

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 4872

Abstract

The aim of this study is to discover the prevalence of cyberbullying among adolescents from Ecuador and Spain, and identify any differences by gender, school year, and ethnic-cultural background. A culturally-diverse group of 33,303 adolescents took part in the study (Ecuador = 10,918; Spain = 22,385). Our results show that in Ecuador, one in four, and in Spain, one in five teenagers were involved in cyberbullying. In both countries, teenagers in the higher school years were more commonly involved. Significant differences in gender and role of involvement were detected in both countries. In Ecuador, no differences were noted between the different ethnic-cultural groups as regards to the roles of involvement in cyberbullying. However, in Spain, these differences do exist. In this paper, these findings are discussed, and proposals for how to prevent cyberbullying are given. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Youth School Violence and the Impact of Social Environment)

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