A Social-ecological Approach to Cyberbullying

Description

Cyberbullying is a growing concern and a negative consequence associated with children's and adolescents' increasing accessibility to the internet and digital technologies. Children and adolescents are accessing the internet and these technologies at younger and younger ages, leaving some of them vulnerable to cyberbullying. As a new phenomenon, cyberbullying might be best understood as a complex process resulting from the interplay among the individual and multiple environments. To this end, this groundbreaking book provides a new framework for understanding cyberbullying perpetration and victimisation. Utilising the social-ecological perspective to describe how personal factors and multiple environments contribute to cyberbullying, the book compiles research on these topics from international researchers in developmental psychology, social psychology, counseling, school psychology, social work, criminology, law, and clinical psychology. Providing critical information about individual and contextual predictors of cyberbullying, the authors provide new practices and policies for addressing these behaviors. Key topics include: Cyberbullying and cyber aggression; Theoretical considerations; Definition and measurement of cyberbullying; The role of individual-level variables in cyberbullying perpetration and victimisation; Parental involvement in children's cyberbullying; Schools' and peers' roles in cyberbullying; Cultural context for understanding cyberbullying; The impact of cyberbullying on mental health; The roles of victim, bully, bully-victim, and bystanders in cyberbullying; Policies, procedures, and recommendations for addressing cyberbullying. This book is an essential read for researchers, educators, and policy-makers who are concerned with the social, emotional, and physical well-being of children and adolescents. In addition, the book will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the factors that make children and adolescents vulnerable to cyberbullying perpetration and victimisation.