Bullying victimization and poor relationships with parents as risk factors of problematic internet use in adolescence

Abstract During adolescence, adolescents move away from their parents in order to establish their place in society. Therefore, there are two arenas that have a significant impact on adolescents; the family and the social one. Adolescents’ intensive internet use leads to concern about Problematic Internet Use (PIU) (Siciliano et al., 2015). Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine if stressful environments such as being a victim to bullying and/or cyberbullying, and poor relationships with parents could be linked directly and indirectly to PIU. Data was collected from a representative sample of 1000 Israeli adolescents aged 12–17 (53% females, average age 14.19 (SD = 1.34)). Measures included demographics, a short problematic internet use test, relationships with parents' questionnaire, cyberbullying scale and, separately, a traditional bullying test. Path analysis model revealed that both poor parent-child communication and being a cyberbullying victim were related to PIU. Correspondingly, Poor parent-child communication had an indirect effect on PIU through bullying and/or cyberbullying victimization. Conversely, both positive mother-child communication and positive father-child communication had an indirect effect on PIU through bullying or cyberbullying victimization, implying that good communication with parents actually can assist reducing bullying victimization and PIU behavior. Limitations, conclusions, and suggestions for further research are discussed.

[1]  Loes Keijsers,et al.  Developmental changes in parent-child communication throughout adolescence. , 2013, Developmental psychology.

[2]  Scott E. Caplan.  Theory and measurement of generalized problematic Internet use: A two-step approach , 2010, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[3]  Feng-Yang Kuo,et al.  A Study of Internet Addiction through the Lens of the Interpersonal Theory , 2007, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[4]  A. Tsitsika,et al.  Risk factors and psychosocial characteristics of potential problematic and problematic internet use among adolescents: A cross-sectional study , 2011, BMC public health.

[5]  Ersilia Menesini,et al.  The Measurement of Cyberbullying: Dimensional Structure and Relative Item Severity and Discrimination , 2011, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[6]  M. Kaess,et al.  Prevalence of pathological internet use among adolescents in Europe: demographic and social factors. , 2012, Addiction.

[7]  Y. Yau,et al.  Problematic Internet use, well-being, self-esteem and self-control: Data from a high-school survey in China. , 2016, Addictive behaviors.

[8]  K. Jackson,et al.  Common and unique parenting predictors of adolescent tobacco and alcohol use. , 2014, Addictive behaviors.

[9]  Jeong Jin Yu,et al.  Understanding adolescents' problematic Internet use from a social/cognitive and addiction research framework , 2013, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[10]  Miriam Sarid,et al.  Measuring Social Peer Rejection during Childhood: Development and Validation , 2013 .

[11]  M. Potenza,et al.  Introduction to Behavioral Addictions , 2010, The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse.

[12]  Jin-Tao Zhang,et al.  Parent-adolescent communication, parental Internet use and Internet-specific norms and pathological Internet use among Chinese adolescents , 2012, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[13]  Patricia Gómez,et al.  Screening of Problematic Internet Use Among Spanish Adolescents: Prevalence and Related Variables , 2017, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[14]  Peter K. Smith,et al.  3. Definitions of bullying and cyberbullying: how useful are the terms? , 2013 .

[15]  D. Wolke,et al.  Parenting behavior and the risk of becoming a victim and a bully/victim: a meta-analysis study. , 2013, Child abuse & neglect.

[16]  Fiona Brooks,et al.  Supportive communication with parents moderates the negative effects of electronic media use on life satisfaction during adolescence , 2015, International Journal of Public Health.

[17]  Amy Bleakley,et al.  The Protective Effects of Parental Monitoring and Internet Restriction on Adolescents’ Risk of Online Harassment , 2015, Journal of youth and adolescence.

[18]  Jessie H Rudi,et al.  Patterns of Bullying and Sexual Harassment: Connections with Parents and Teachers as Direct Protective Factors , 2017, Journal of youth and adolescence.

[19]  Meral Kelleci,et al.  Psychiatric Symptoms in Adolescents with Internet Use: Comparison without Internet Use , 2010, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[20]  M. Spada.  An overview of problematic internet use. , 2014, Addictive behaviors.

[21]  Chih-Hung Ko,et al.  Family Factors of Internet Addiction and Substance Use Experience in Taiwanese Adolescents , 2007, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[22]  Rong Wang,et al.  Teenagers’ Internet Use and Family Rules: A Research Note , 2005 .

[23]  C. Demetriou,et al.  The effect of parental style on bullying and cyber bullying behaviors and the mediating role of peer attachment relationships: A longitudinal study. , 2018, Journal of adolescence.

[24]  Wang Jinan,et al.  Mental health, personality, and parental rearing styles of adolescents with Internet addiction disorder. , 2010 .

[25]  Martin Valcke,et al.  Internet parenting styles and the impact on Internet use of primary school children , 2010, Comput. Educ..

[26]  M. Griffiths.  Internet addiction: Fact or fiction? , 1999 .

[27]  Albert K. Liau,et al.  Parental Influences on Pathological Symptoms of Video-Gaming Among Children and Adolescents: A Prospective Study , 2015 .

[28]  Peng Hwa Ang,et al.  Parents vs peers' influence on teenagers' Internet addiction and risky online activities , 2018, Telematics Informatics.

[29]  W. Gamble,et al.  Adolescent Relations with Their Mothers, Siblings, and Peers: An Exploration of the Roles of Maternal and Adolescent Self-Criticism , 2009, Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology : the official journal for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, American Psychological Association, Division 53.

[30]  Santiago Yubero,et al.  Loneliness, parent-child communication and cyberbullying victimization among Spanish youths , 2016, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[31]  D. Laible,et al.  The Influences of Parent and Peer Attachment on Bullying , 2017, Journal of Child and Family Studies.

[32]  C. Chiu,et al.  The relationship between parental mediation and Internet addiction among adolescents, and the association with cyberbullying and depression. , 2015, Comprehensive psychiatry.

[33]  P. Valkenburg,et al.  Online communication among adolescents: an integrated model of its attraction, opportunities, and risks. , 2011, The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

[34]  D. Shek,et al.  Adolescent Internet Addiction in Hong Kong: Prevalence, Change, and Correlates. , 2016, Journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology.

[35]  R. Engels,et al.  Compulsive Internet Use Among Adolescents: Bidirectional Parent–Child Relationships , 2009, Journal of abnormal child psychology.

[36]  Elisheva F. Gross,et al.  Extending the school grounds?--Bullying experiences in cyberspace. , 2008, The Journal of school health.

[37]  Peter K. Smith,et al.  The Nature of Cyberbullying and What We Can Do about It. , 2015 .

[38]  Justin W. Patchin,et al.  Bullies Move Beyond the Schoolyard , 2006 .

[39]  D. Farrington,et al.  Antisocial Behavior and Mental Health Problems: Explanatory Factors in Childhood and Adolescence , 1998 .

[40]  P. Bria,et al.  Behavioural Addictions in Adolescents and Young Adults: Results from a Prevalence Study , 2011, Journal of Gambling Studies.

[41]  Daniel Kardefelt-Winther,et al.  A conceptual and methodological critique of internet addiction research: Towards a model of compensatory internet use , 2014, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[42]  Robert S. Tokunaga,et al.  Following you home from school: A critical review and synthesis of research on cyberbullying victimization , 2010, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[43]  Ho-Kyung Kim,et al.  Toward a comprehensive theory of problematic Internet use: Evaluating the role of self-esteem, anxiety, flow, and the self-rated importance of Internet activities , 2009, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[44]  P. Bentler,et al.  Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis : Conventional criteria versus new alternatives , 1999 .

[45]  P. Valkenburg,et al.  Social Consequences of the Internet for Adolescents , 2009 .

[46]  Evi Makri-Botsari,et al.  Cyberbullying in Greek Adolescents: The Role of Parents☆ , 2014 .

[47]  Jinkyu Han,et al.  Internet overuse and excessive daytime sleepiness in adolescents , 2009, Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences.

[48]  Lutz Wartberg,et al.  Adolescent problematic Internet use: Is a parental rating suitable to estimate prevalence and identify familial correlates? , 2017, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[49]  Dustin B. Wygant,et al.  The Role of Peer Attachment and Normative Beliefs about Aggression on Traditional Bullying and Cyberbullying. , 2013 .

[50]  D. Olweus.  A Profile of Bullying at School. , 2003 .

[51]  Justin W. Patchin,et al.  Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Suicide , 2010, Archives of suicide research : official journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research.

[52]  D. Shek,et al.  Differences between fathers and mothers in the treatment of, and relationship with, their teenage children: perceptions of Chinese adolescents. , 2000, Adolescence.

[53]  A. Lenhart.  Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015 , 2015 .

[54]  K. Grossmann,et al.  The Uniqueness of the Child–Father Attachment Relationship: Fathers’ Sensitive and Challenging Play as a Pivotal Variable in a 16‐year Longitudinal Study , 2002 .

[55]  P. Valkenburg,et al.  Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model , 2013, The International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology.

[56]  E. Cardemil,et al.  Parent-Child Communication and Parental Involvement in Latino Adolescents , 2009 .

[57]  Hagit Sasson,et al.  The Role of Parental Mediation and Peer Norms on the Likelihood of Cyberbullying , 2017, The Journal of genetic psychology.

[58]  Abolfazl Saghafi,et al.  Psychosocial Profile of Iranian Adolescents' Internet Addiction , 2013, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[59]  Gustavo S. Mesch,et al.  Parental mediation, peer norms and risky online behavior among adolescents , 2014, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[60]  Konstantinos Siomos,et al.  Adolescent Online Gambling: The Impact of Parental Practices and Correlates with Online Activities , 2013, Journal of Gambling Studies.

[61]  Ryan C. Meldrum,et al.  Bullying Victimization and Adolescent Self-Harm: Testing Hypotheses from General Strain Theory , 2010, Journal of youth and adolescence.

[62]  Eleni C. Tzavela,et al.  Online social networking in adolescence: patterns of use in six European countries and links with psychosocial functioning. , 2014, The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

[63]  Becky Kochenderfer-Ladd,et al.  Children's coping strategies: moderators of the effects of peer victimization? , 2002, Developmental psychology.

[64]  R. Tremblay,et al.  Differential susceptibility to environmental influences: Interactions between child temperament and parenting in adolescent alcohol use , 2015, Development and Psychopathology.

[65]  Giovanni B. Moneta,et al.  The role of metacognitions in problematic Internet use , 2008, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[66]  Xian Li,et al.  Parental Behavioral and Psychological Control and Problematic Internet Use Among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Self-Control , 2013, Cyberpsychology Behav. Soc. Netw..

[67]  Sabrina Molinaro,et al.  Validation of a new Short Problematic Internet Use Test in a nationally representative sample of adolescents , 2015, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[68]  Louis Leung,et al.  The influences of information literacy, internet addiction and parenting styles on internet risks , 2012, New Media Soc..

[69]  Glenn Gamst,et al.  Applied Multivariate Research: Design and Interpretation , 2005 .

[70]  Kathryn L. Mills,et al.  Possible Effects of Internet Use on Cognitive Development in Adolescence , 2016 .

[71]  T. Hirschi.  Causes of Delinquency. , 1970, British medical journal.

[72]  Manuel Gámez-Guadix,et al.  Measurement and analysis of the cognitive-behavioral model of generalized problematic internet use among Mexican adolescents. , 2012, Journal of adolescence.

[73]  P. H. Ang,et al.  Parental Awareness and Monitoring of Adolescent Internet Use , 2008 .

[74]  Xian Li,et al.  Temperament and adolescent problematic Internet use: The mediating role of deviant peer affiliation , 2016, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[75]  R. McMahon,et al.  The Relationship Between Parental Knowledge and Monitoring and Child and Adolescent Conduct Problems: A 10-Year Update , 2011, Clinical child and family psychology review.

[76]  Tian Chen,et al.  Introduction to mediation analysis with structural equation modeling , 2013, Shanghai archives of psychiatry.

[77]  Zongkui Zhou,et al.  Perceived Parent-Adolescent Relationship, Perceived Parental Online Behaviors and Pathological Internet Use among Adolescents: Gender-Specific Differences , 2013, PloS one.