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Valerie A. Mulkhey is a 2014 graduate of the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, New England

Dissertation Committee

  • James Fauth, Ph.D., Committee Chair
  • Barbara Belcher-Timme, Psy.D. Committee Member
  • Daneil LeFleur, Ph.D. Committee Member

Keywords

cyber bully, cyber victim, Piers-Harris 2, self-concept, parental involvement, cyberbullying

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

The frequency of cyber bullying involvement is systematically increasing, as is the access to electronic communication tools. Many youth are both victimized by and perpetrate cyber bullying. In fact, youth who are victimized are more likely than non-victims to perpetrate cyber bullying. Youth who engaged in both forms of cyber bullying are referred to as cyber bully-victims. The purpose of this research was to determine whether self-concept, parental involvement with electronic communication tools, parent-imposed consequences, and parental support differ depending on cyber bullying status. Participants consisted of 60 4th and 5th graders at elementary schools in southwestern NH. Data was collected using the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale, Second Edition and the Cyber Bullying Scale (CBS), which was created for the study. Descriptive analyses captured the frequency of electronic technology, and suggested that the Internet is the more commonly used than cell phones for this age group. In addition, the frequency of various types of cyber bullying acts were measured; having pictures forwarded without permission via text was rated the most common type of both perpetration and victimization. ANOVA analyses revealed that cyber bully perpetrators experienced significantly higher levels of parental involvement than their non-involved peers. The implications of these results include alerting parents of the high rates of cyber bullying using picture messaging in order to increase parental monitoring and oversight.

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