CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT Cyberbullying: Parental Involvement as a Protective Factor Name University 1 CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 2 Cyberbullying: Parental Involvement as a Protective Factor Introduction Cyberbullying has been associated with suicide among adolescents. Cyber harassment or cyberbullying can be defined as the use of technology to cause obscene comments, harassing behaviors, and sexual harassments through the virtual world user (Wright, 2017). Specifically, such misbehavior over the virtual world includes harassing blogs, nasty comments, offensive emails, and nasty comments that are provocative to the readers or viewers (Wright, 2017). According to Young, Subramanian, Miles, Hinnant, and Andsager (2017), there has been a link between cyberbullying and suicide among adolescents. Furthermore, Young et al. (2017) continued to state that public attention has been drawn to cyberbullying following the puzzled suicides among the adolescents. It is, therefore, clear that cyberbullying is the number one cause of suicides among high school students and other adolescents. However, the current literature has been unable to adequately present the causes of cyberbullying and how the problem can be prevented from occurring. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to present a research proposal that is aimed at investigating the possible factors that may be associated with cyberbullying among adolescents and the ways by which cyber harassment can be mitigated. Literature Review Various researchers have been interested in studying the causes and management of cyberbullying amongst the adolescents. It has already been shown that cyberbullying is CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 3 highly associated with adolescent suicides. It, therefore, means that there is a need to investigate the possible factors of the problem and the effective ways that can be used to manage the problem. Ang, Huan, and Florell (2014) are some of the researchers who study cyberbullying. Ang, Huan, and Florell (2014) stated that bullying among adolescents has simply been moved from physical to virtual world. There has been an advancement in technology and it is for this reason that bullying has been identified by a new form. Ang, Huan, and Florell (2014) further stated that it is undeniable that the internet usage has been flooded with teenagers as they interact socially. As a result, adolescents have been able to communicate anonymously with limited monitoring of the adults. Cyberspace is characterized by insensitivity since people make posts and comments while they are not self-aware of what other people think of their comments and posts in the cyberspace. The study by Ang, Huan, and Florell (2014) generally investigated cyberbullying among the adolescents in Singapore and the United States (US). The study investigated the relationship between reactive and proactive aggression in relation to cyberbullying. It was established in the study that proactive aggression is a risk factor of cyberbullying and bullying. The study has added to the research topic by showing that proactive and reactive aggressions are risk factors for cyberbullying. However, the Ang, Huan, and Florell (2014) study have still been insufficient in stating how cyberbullying can be managed. Aboujaoude, Savage, Starcevic, and Salame (2015) also studied cyberbullying as a public health problem among adolescents. It was shown in the study that scientific CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 4 explorations have resulted in less attention being put on the media causing less awareness of cyberbullying which is just a new problem in the cyberspace. Aboujaoude, Savage, Starcevic, and Salame (2015) used data from PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO database to explain the state of cyberbullying. The results indicated that up to 40% of adolescents have been victims to cyberbullying with sexual minorities and females being at the highest risks of cyberbullying. The flaws in the designs of methodology in the study are that the researchers have not used primary data in making their conclusions. The direct causes and management of cyberbullying have not been addressed in the research but the researchers have suggested the need for more research on cyberbullying. The currently proposed research is, therefore, justified following the existing gap in the literature. Cyberbullying has also been investigated by Sasson and Mesch (2017) to determine the severity of the issue. Sasson and Mesch (2017) suggested that parental guidance can be a mediating factor in the management of cyberbullying. Risky online activities and peer norms have also been identified as the major causes of cyberbullying. The researchers investigated sixth to eighth-grade students using a sample of 495 students to measure the causes and mediating factors in the management of cyberbullying. The findings demonstrated that the likelihood of being bullied online is highly associated with risky behavior and peer norms (Sasson & Mesch, 2017). Moreover, the results also showed that restrictive supervision of the adolescents had a significant impact on cyberbullying implying that parents can easily detect that their children are being bullied over the internet. As much as the study addressed the possible causes and management proposals for cyberbullying, it is still unclear on the specific ways by which the CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 5 management strategies can be employed by parents. It is for this gap that the proposed research is still necessary and justified to proceed. Additionally, Young et al. (2017) also researched on the relationship between cyberbullying and suicide amongst the adolescents. Young et al. (2017) also investigated the social representation of adolescent suicides in social life. The study was based on the content analysis of about 184 newspaper articles in the US. The contents were specifically associated with the death of adolescents as a result of cyberbullying and aggression. The study found that most of the news articles showed individual deaths through suicide were as a result of failure to promptly attend to the concerns that have been raised on cyberbullying. Although the study has significantly contributed to the current knowledge on cyberbullying by showing how suicides are caused by cyberbullying, it still lacks primary data on the findings made. In addition, there is still no clarity on the methodology used since it has not been shown where the newspaper articles were selected from across all the states of the US or only in some states and the others left. Following these deficiencies in research, it is essential to investigate the specific causes and interventions factors related to the management of cyberbullying. Moreover, Wright (2017) also assessed the risk factors associated with the involvement of adolescents in cyber harassment. Wright (2017) demonstrated that parental mediation on the use of technology by adolescents can be significant in preventing cyberbullying among adolescents. The parental monitoring techniques include restrictive, co-viewing, and instructive controls over adolescents’ use of electronic technology. The also explored the effects of gender as a moderating factor in the parental CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 6 guide and the involvement of adolescents in cyber harassment (Wright, 2017). The sample used in the study included 568 female adolescents in the US eighth grade students. It was established that restrictive mediation strategies were more applicable to girls as compared to boys. On the other hand, there was a positive relationship between instructive mediation and cyber victimization as compared to girls. The implication of the results is that there is a need to involve parents in the management of cyberbullying as the parents can assist in monitoring the involvement of adolescents in cyberspace. Although Wright (2017) stated clear management strategies that can be taken by parents to prevent the severity of cyber harassment, it still has not found the specific causes of cyber harassment and involvement. Therefore, there is a need to adequately study the possible causes of cyberbullying and how they can be managed. In sum, the current literature in cyberbullying has not been specific in identifying the causes of cyberbullying. Furthermore, no research has investigated the effectiveness of the specific mediation strategies in the management of victimization of adolescents in the cyberspace. Apparently, there is a gap in the literature. It is for this reason that the current research is being proposed to investigate the possible factors that may be associated with cyberbullying and the ways by which these cases can be prevented and managed. Based on the present literature in the research of cyberbullying, it can be hypothesized that adolescents who lack proper guidance from their parents are at higher risks of being a victim of cyber harassment as compared to children who receive proper monitoring from parents and guardians. The null hypothesis is children who are at high CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 7 chances of browsing over the internet are at higher chances of experiencing cyberbullying as compared to children who cannot access the internet. The investigation of the possible factors and management of cyberbullying requires a review of both primary and secondary data. For this reason, there will be a need for case study across the US. The study will involve the students, teachers, and parents. Schools will be randomly selected from all the states within the US. One school will be selected from each of the states but two schools for bigger states. The selection of the schools will be totally random. After the schools have been selected, a random selection will be made to get a sample of 50 students in every school. Also, both girls and boys are to be included proportionately in the study. After the sample has been made, data will then be collected using questionnaires. The questionnaires will be spread to the students and the teachers. From the responses of the students, it will be sufficient to reduce the effectiveness of parent involvement in cyberbullying to the adolescents. Indeed, Wright (2017) also found that the questionnaire was effective in collecting data on cyberbullying research. It is, therefore, appropriate to use the questionnaire as a data gathering tool in this research. Secondary data will also be necessary for this research. Secondary data will be helpful in ensuring that there are reliability and validity of the primary data that have been collected. Secondary data helps in ensuring that there is consistency between the current research and the previous research findings. In this research, secondary data will be collected from a literature review of the previous research on cyberbullying. Information will also be collected from the database of other organizations such as the CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 8 World Health Organization and newspaper articles from all the states in the US. The data will then be analyzed and compared with what has been obtained from the case study. This paper has presented a research proposal to investigate the possible factors that may be associated with cyberbullying among adolescents and the ways by which cyber harassment can be mitigated. The current literature in cyberbullying has not been specific in identifying the causes of cyberbullying. Furthermore, no research has investigated the effectiveness of the specific mediation strategies in the management of victimization of adolescents in the cyberspace. Apparently, there is a gap in the literature. It is for this reason that the current research is being proposed to investigate the possible factors of cyberbullying and the ways by which these cases can be prevented and managed. The study will be conducted through case study across the US schools. Data will be collected using a questionnaire. Secondary data will be collected from a literature review of the previous research on cyberbullying. Information will also be obtained from the database of other organizations such as the World Health Organization and newspaper articles from all the states in the US. Method The research to investigate the possible factors and effects of cyberbullying among children was done in schools all over the United States. Schools were randomly selected to ensure that there was no discrimination. A school was selected at random in every state and for the bigger states like California and Alaska, two schools were randomly picked. The schools selected had fifty students picked at random and they became the respondents for the study. The selection of students was also random, while CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 9 giving boys and girls equal chances. The student respondents were of the average age of fourteen years. Other participants in the interview were people who have frequent interactions with students like their teachers, parents or guardians. The study had a total respondence of 2800 students, 100 teachers and 100 parents in number. The students came from different ethnic backgrounds including whites, African American, Hispanics, and Asians. The subjects were selected randomly and assigned randomly as well. The randomness was supposed to make sure that the information was not biased or leaning towards a certain group of people. The subjects discussed were the causes of cyberbullying and the ways to mitigate this in society. In the research study, a questionnaire is a tool that is carefully designed for collecting data. In accordance with the research questions specification, the data for the study was mainly taken through questionnaires. The selected students were given questionnaires that had questions relevant to the topic at hand; the possible factors and effects of cyberbullying among adolescents. The questionnaire was especially helpful because the information obtained was first-hand and was from different people’s point of views. Considering the research was countrywide, there was a diversity of views which helped us get a clear picture and unbiased opinion about the possible factors and effects of cyberbullying among adolescents. The questionnaire was composed of ten questions which were asking how many people had ever witnessed or have ever been a part of bullying, possible reasons why bullying happens, and suggested ways of dealing with cyberbullying in the society. The CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 10 questionnaire also asked how helpful parental guidance was towards dealing with cyberbullying. After the collection of the data, a cross-examination was done to make sure that the data was accurate, complete, as well as identify items that had been responded to in the wrong way. Grammatical errors, like spelling mistakes were checked and the spelling mistakes were recorded. The respondents were also guided towards filing spaces that they left blank during the study. The qualitative data was entered into the computer so that calculation of percentages and comparisons were possible. The representation of the data obtained was done through tables and descriptive reports. Observation schedule data was analyzed into themes, while qualitative data was thematically analyzed. The instruments that were utilized were computers and they were used to analyze data obtained. Questionnaires utilized paper leaflets that had questions written on them and blank spaces where the respondents were to write their opinions. During the research, the research team was very keen on treating the respondents ethically. They were treated with the utmost respect during the entire process, hence there was not a single complaint received. For starters, some respondents wanted their identities kept anonymous, because of fear of victimization. Hence, their names were not included in the reports. The respondents were also told that they were free to withdraw from the research if they felt like they wanted to without being questioned. The research team obtained informed consent. All respondents were aware that the information given was for a research and what was expected of them. In addition to these, the respondents were not coerced into giving information. They volunteered to do it willingly. CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 11 There were two data analysis methods used. These are comparison and calculation of percentages. The comparisons were used to identify the biggest factor of cyberbullying, while the percentage tool was showing exact comparisons as a percentage. The biggest factor could be determined by which had the highest percentage rate. Results The research showed that the leading factor for cyberbullying was from children who had been bullied before. These adolescents felt like the only way to get over what had happened to them was seeking revenge. They then proceeded to identify those who bullied them and cyberbullied them. This was aided by the fact that they could maintain total anonymity over the internet. Others looked for other adolescents that seemed weaker than them and hence felt like they were the perfect targets. Bullying others made them feel like they were courageous again, even if they were putting someone else in the exact position they were in. Secondly, adolescents who bully others in school are looking for ways to feel powerful. It is the same concept behind an attractive girl who victimizes the less attractive ones. Through cyberbullying, some adolescents can make someone less powerful, so that they will be perceived as powerful themselves. Also, people can use the internet to gain control over people or cause altercations that will make them be perceived as powerful. Unfortunately, the concept of mean girls is very much alive in schools and nowadays, the internet is a tool used to fuel it. CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 12 Thirdly, the students are also motivated by fun. Some people believe that having control over someone can actually generate pleasure without really knowing the true effects of cyberbullying. The fact that they have unlimited access to the internet and the use is uncontrolled had fueled it. The adolescents have this common belief that whatever they are doing, everyone else is doing it too. This caused them to be more persistent in their cyberbullying activities and the adrenaline rush that came with knowing that they could maneuver around the internet without really getting caught. There are a couple of ways that cyberbullying may be mitigated. Parental control is one of them. Every child is legally under their parents as long as they are under eighteen years of age. The activities of the adolescents on the internet should be closely monitored by their parents through features like parental control. This way, parents can see what their children are up to on the internet and acts like cyberbullying can be stopped before they become serious. Cyberbullying is not just an injustice, it is also a crime which is punishable by law and should be approached with such seriousness. The parents should also limit the time their children spend online, before someone becomes victimized or becomes the victimizer. Another way is by creating awareness. One of the findings of the study was that adolescents start cyberbullying for fun. This just goes to show that they are clueless about the effects they are having on someone else’s life. Cyberbullying should be discussed deeply in schools or rather taught to the students. The students should be told real stories of what cyberbullying has done to their fellow students emotionally. In addition to this, they should be told how illegal it is and how it can actually land someone in jail, because CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 13 it is a criminal offense. When students really know what they are dealing with, there is a good chance that they will stop doing it. Cyberbullying among adolescents occurs more often than we would like to admit. From data gathered from social psychologists, a lot of victims of cyberbullying are young children around the age of fourteen years old. The cyberbullies are also young and they do it for reasons like fun, to feel powerful, seek revenge, and the availability of unlimited internet access for the mere thought that they will never get caught. From the study, one thing is clear. Adolescents do not know the seriousness of the crime. This is why the study suggests that the best way to fight cybercrime is to create awareness so that the students are fully informed about what they are dealing with. In addition to this, parents should be more involved in the fight, by monitoring the activities of their children online and also limiting the amount of time their children spent online. Discussion The results of this study are congruent with what was expected, because the research set out to establish factors that may be associated with cyberbullying among adolescents and the ways by which cyber harassment can be mitigated. From the results it is evident that there are several factors that can result to cyberbullying as well as the ways to mitigate are available. It is also congruent with the hypothesis. The research discovered that cyberbullying is caused by an early act of cyberbullying, where those who have been bullied in the past try to get over the feeling by bullying others. This makes it be a continuous act. Another factor that the result identified is that the adolescents are seeking power through cyberbullying where they make others feel inferior, while they feel as if they are the superiors. The results of this research also CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 14 indicated that adolescent are bullying others as a way of having fun. The researcher indicates the adolescents are having fun cyberbullying, without being aware of the risks and consequences of their actions. Another part of the finding is the assumption that everybody is engaged in cyberbullying too. The results indicated that this makes the adolescents be more involved in this type of crime as if they are competing and this makes them explore more on the internet without being caught. The result also continues to answer the research question by indicating the ways that can be deployed to control cyberbullying. The result indicates that parent's intervention can help to control cyberbullying. This can be possible through monitoring their activities on the internet. Through monitoring, parents will be able to regulate the amount of information that children can access. More so, the results indicate that parents should also reduce the time their children spend online to avoid internet addiction. The result also indicates that cyberbullying can be controlled through creating awareness. Creation of awareness will help adolescents to understand the effects associated with cyberbullying and hopefully make them see that it is not something they should joke about. Awareness should start to be created in school where students should be informed that cyberbullying is a crime and there are legal regulations that can even result in a person being fined or jailed. This will help them to understand the effects and be able to deal with the issue, as well as give them a chance to stop cybercrime activities. The hypothesis was effectively supported by the results that the researchers discovered. This is because, the hypothesis was on whether lack of proper guidance from parents among the adolescents contributes to those children falling into cyberbullying compared to those who receive proper guidance. This research has been able to establish CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 15 that it is true that there are factors contributing to cyberbullying and there are also ways that can be used to reduce and prevent the occurrence of cybercrime. This has been done by providing them with the findings that have been collected all through the research. Although the research conducted by Ang, Huan, and Florell (2014) discovered different factors that are causing cyberbullying, it is directly related to these results. However, the study did not find out the ways that can be used to control and prevent cyberbullying among the adolescent. Additionally, even though Aboujaoude, Savage, Starcevic, and Salame (2015) conducted research on cyberbullying, there is no relation between these results and what their research found out. This is because their research did not find out anything related to the factors resulting in cyberbullying, nor did it study the ways to prevent and reduce cyberbullying. Moreover, the research by Sasson and Mesch (2017) had a direct correlation with these results, because it identified risky online activities and peer norms as the major factors contributing to the occurrence of cyberbullying among the adolescent as the same as this research identified fun, way of feeling powerful and as a way of revenge to be the factors of cyberbullying. Also, this research has identified parental guidance to be the way that can be used in the management of cyberbullying, as this research did. On the other hand, the study by Young et al. (2017) does not have a relationship with this research, because the research has only indicated the way adolescents are committing suicide due to cyberbullying and the factors that are contributing to these suicide cases. Wright (2017) has also discovered parental interventions to be the major way that can be used to reduce and prevent cyberbullying among adolescents. Also, the researcher has identified gender to be a factor contributing to cyberbullying. This CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 16 research has also identified restrictive measures to be perfect in controlling cybercrime among girls than in boys. More so, this research has identified parental involvement in controlling and preventing cybercrime in both genders. Therefore, this study has a direct relationship with the finding in my research, because despite there being some differences, they are all factors and solutions to cyberbullying. From the literature review used in this research, there is a clear indication that the study on cyberbullying is diverse and there are many issues that a researcher can discuss. Also, different researchers can conduct similar studies but come up with a distinct result. This has been evident by the factors that different studies found out. This research can be used by the future researchers as a literature review in their studies on cyberbullying. At the same time, they can compare their results to the findings in this research and establish whether the results are the same or not. It can also be used by students who are studying factors contributing to cyberbullying, as well as the ways that can be used to control and prevent it. Students can use the literature reviews in this research to understand the effects of cyberbullying, because some of these studies have outlined the effects including suicide. The research needs some improvements, which include the use of both sufficient primary and secondary sources, like case studies that will involve adolescents, parents, and teachers. Another improvement that needs to be done on this research proposal is the use of subheadings that will help the reader to access information easily. For instance, the hypothesis and research question of the research is not clearly identified. The research should also use more instruments in data collections in order to be able to collect a variety of information. The research should also reduce the size of its sample to ensure CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT that the research is conducted faster and accurately. This will ensure that the researcher analyzes all the results, especially the one collected through questionnaires. 17 CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 18 References Aboujaoude, E., Savage, M. W., Starcevic, V., & Salame, W. O. (2015). Cyberbullying: Review of an Old Problem Gone Viral. Journal of Adolescent Health, 57(1), 10–18. Ang, R. P., Huan, V. S., & Florell, D. (2014). Understanding the Relationship Between Proactive and Reactive Aggression, and Cyberbullying Across the United States and Singapore Adolescent Samples. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29(2), 237–254. Griezel, L., Finger, L. R., Bodkin-Andrews, G. H., Craven, R. G., & Yeung, A. S. (2012). Uncovering the structure of and gender and developmental differences in cyber bullying. The Journal of Educational Research, 105(6), 442–455. Nixon, C. L. (2014). Current perspectives: the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health. Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics, 5, 143 Patchin, J. W., & Hinduja, S. (2011). Traditional and nontraditional bullying among youth: A test of general strain theory. Youth & Society, 43(2), 727–751. Sasson, H., & Mesch, G. (2017). The Role of Parental Mediation and Peer Norms on the Likelihood of Cyberbullying. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 178(1), 15–27. Schenk, A. M., & Fremouw, W. J. (2012). Prevalence, psychological impact, and coping of cyberbully victims among college students. Journal of School Violence, 11(1), 21-37. Ševčíková, A., Šmahel, D., & Otavová, M. (2012). The perception of cyberbullying in adolescent victims. Emotional and behavioural difficulties, 17(3-4), 319-328. Wright, M. F. (2017). Parental mediation, cyberbullying, and cyber trolling: The role of gender. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 189–195. CYBERBULLYING: PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT Young, R., Subramanian, R., Miles, S., Hinnant, A., & Andsager, J. L. (2017). Social Representation of Cyberbullying and Adolescent Suicide: A Mixed-Method Analysis of News Stories. Health Communication, 32(9), 1082–1092. 19 ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION Parental Relationships and Adolescent Smartphone Addiction **Anonymous** Southern New Hampshire University 1 ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION Abstract The abstract goes here. Not indented (and left-justified, not centered). The abstract is double-spaced. Be sure the results of your study are explained in the last few sentences of the abstract. 2 ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 3 Parental Relationships and Adolescent Smartphone Addiction In the 10 years since the release of the first iPhone, the use of iPhones and other smartphones has grown dramatically. Today, the vast majority of the population owns and uses a smartphone on a daily basis and the time dedicated to smartphone use has grown to almost 3 hours per day (Lapierre & Lewis, 2016). Young people are even more engaged with their phones, sending an average of over 109 text messages daily (Lapierre & Lewis, 2016). Smartphones give people the ability to access information like never before. People can now send and receive money, check the weather, get live news, talk and text with peers around the world, share pictures on social media, play games, watch movies, meet potential lovers, communicate with business associates, and more simply with the touch of a finger. The ability to communicate and share information like never before has profound benefits but is not without it’s drawbacks. Smartphones are designed to meet as many of our needs as possible and when an adolescent’s needs are not met in healthy ways, they may look to their phone to fill those needs in unhealthy ways. Secure parental attachment functions as a preventative measure, providing a stable foundation for adolescent development. According to Moretti and Peled, “Studies of nonclinical samples show that securely attached adolescents are less likely to engage in excessive drinking, drug use and risky sexual behaviour.” (2004). Smartphone abuse is like other behavioral addictions and is likely to fall into the same category of other adolescent abuses. Behavioral addiction is a complex disorder and is commonly characterized by obsession, lack of control, tolerance, abuse, withdrawal, and interference with other activities due to the behavior (De-Sola Gutiérrez, Rodríguez de Fonseca, & Rubio, 2016). Unfortunately, in the short amount of time that smartphones have been in use, research into their ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 4 addiction potential is limited. The lack of research leaves the definitions of smartphone abuse, dependence and addiction up for debate and there is currently no diagnosis for smartphone addiction (De-Sola Gutiérrez, Rodríguez de Fonseca, & Rubio, 2016). What is known is that the consequences of smartphone over use include sleep disturbances, anxiety, stress, depression, and the potential for drug and alcohol addiction (De-Sola Gutiérrez, Rodríguez de Fonseca, & Rubio, 2016). It is also important to note the increased risk of adolescents using smartphones while driving and the associated risks of distracted driving which include injury and death (Dieckman, Weller, Shackleford, & Slovic, 2013). On a daily basis, those that over-use their smartphones are also missing out on face to face interactions and being present in the world around them. Characteristics that predispose someone to cell-phone addiction are being extraverted, neurotic, impulsive, having low self-esteem, self-image issues, and lacking self-identity. Many of these characteristics can also be found in individuals who have insecure parental attachment (Vivona, 2000). One study discovered a relationship between students with negative family relationships and problematic cell-phone use (De-Sola Gutiérrez, Rodríguez de Fonseca, & Rubio, 2016). Addiction to smartphones is a complex disorder due to the nature of the object itself, what it allows the user to do, and it’s significance. For an adolescent who is insecurely attached to their parents, the smartphone may fill their need for social connection and acceptance. A smartphone may also provide a sense of security to the individual as an extension of the self. Mobile phone carriers take advantage of this by routinely advertising their products as a reflection or extension of the self (Dieckman, Weller, Shackleford, & Slovic, 2013). Based on the research provided, it is predicted that those that suffer from insecure parental attachment are at a higher risk for misuse, abuse and addiction to their smartphones. If ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 5 this is so, adolescents who have insecure parental attachment will have a higher incidence of cell phone dependence. In a study conducted by Dieckman, Weller, and Shackleford, the connection between attachment to one’s phone and use while driving was analyzed. A large group of 1,006 Young drivers aged 17-28 completed a survey on phone use while driving, driving risk perception, and perceived attachment to one’s phone (Dieckman, Weller, Shackleford, & Slovic, 2013). The participants were recruited through a nationwide survey panel and gave their informed consent and received points toward raffles for prizes in exchange for participating. There may be some inaccuracy in the data collected as it was done through a survey. Although all participants and answers were kept anonymous, some respondents may not answer the questionnaire honestly. Because cell-phone use while driving is illegal in many states and not socially acceptable, participants may have been dishonest in their actual cell-phone use behind the wheel. The results showed that younger participants were more likely to send and receive text messages while driving and that greater perceived cell-phone attachment predicted increased cell-phone use while driving. The paper also included lots of other useful information on object attachment and potential methods to counteract phone attachment such as increasing mindfulness. Another study addressed the concern of addiction risks and mobile phone use by developing a scale. The Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS) was developed to measure problem use against the Addiction Potential Scale (Bianchi & Phillips, 2015). Validity of the MPPUS is assessed by this study as well. 195 participants, with a mean age of 36.07 and a standard deviation of 12.43 years, were assessed based on 4 surveys. The group was made up of 132 females and 62 males who use a mobile phone regularly recruited through universities and newspaper advertisements. The materials used were the MPPUS, the MMPI-2 Addiction ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 6 Potential Scale, the Eyesenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale, and the Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory. Limitation of this study are the relatively small participant size, multiple variables assessed, and larger female than male representation. A thorough discussion is given on the results and divided into analysis of the multiple variables. The study concluded that individuals that are young, extraverted, and with low self-esteem are at a higher risk for problematic cell-phone use. Impulsiveness is considered to be a strong predictor of smartphone addiction. Researchers, Siddiqui and Ali, hypothesized that there would be a predictive relationship between impulsiveness and behavioral addiction found in smartphone use (2015). For their study, 40 Pakistani males and 60 Pakistani females between the ages of 14-40 participated from different communities. Participants were told the purpose of the study and given more details after the completion of the questionnaires. Data was collected through a demographic information questionnaire, Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire (MPIQ) and the 30 question Baratt Impulsiveness Scale-11. Being a self-administered questionnaire which increases the chance of bias, and a having a small participant size limits the validity of the study. However, otherwise the study was conducted ethically and validly. In the end, a significant relationship was found between all types of impulsiveness and smartphone addiction. The results of the study call for treatment of impulsivity to prevent smartphone addiction. However, the study still leaves the question as to if attentional impulsiveness is a consequence or predictor of smartphone addiction. Another predictor of smartphone addiction is poor relationships. This has been studied previously with romantic relationships but not familial relationships. Young people and the health of their romantic relationships as it relates to smartphone use was addressed in one study ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 7 by Lapierre and Lewis. It was hypothesized that as smartphone use and dependency go up, relationship satisfaction will go down and an increase in partner dependency will also correlate (Lapierre & Lewis, 2016). 170 college communication course students (123 females and 48 males) from a large southeastern university participated in the study. The participants needed to be in a romantic relationship for at least one month and both partners needed to own a smartphone. Participants also received extra credit for taking the questionnaires. Answers were given online and additional attention-check questions were included to weed out those not reading the questions carefully enough. Independent variables included demographic information, smartphone dependency. Dependent variables included relationship satisfaction and relational uncertainty. There were also covariates taken into account such as distance in proximity, seriousness of the relationship, length of the relationship, and communication between partners. Being the first study to look at smartphones and relationship health, the results are helpful. However, there are some limitations to the study such as a majority of females being in the study since they may perceive relationships differently than males. The sample size was also small and from just one university which is a limited population. Extra credit being given for completing the surveys may also attract only a certain type of student. The study finds that the time spent on smartphones does not directly affect the relationship however, the psychological sense of needing to be connected via a smartphone is related to poor relationship attitudes and satisfaction. Finally, many issues of smartphone addiction were addressed in a literature review by De-Sola Gutiérrez, Rodríguez de Fonseca, and Rubio. Their paper gives a broad overview of the studies done on smartphone addiction as of October 2016. Reviewing the potential causes and consequences of smartphone addiction, the authors go quite in depth to the emerging diagnostic ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 8 criteria and treatment of this emerging disease. As of now, there is no DSM diagnosis for smartphone addiction or any other behavioral addiction other than compulsive gambling (DeSola Gutiérrez, Rodríguez de Fonseca, & Rubio, 2016). Behavioral addiction can be defined by a strong need to perform the behavior despite it’s negative consequences. However, this paper makes a strong case for the need to broaden the diagnosis of cell-phone misuse beyond an impulse disorder. Problems with previous research methods are also discussed such as limited sample sizes, limits of using questionnaires, and the lack of taking addictive criteria into account. The literature review concludes with call to differentiate smartphone addiction from problematic use and abuse and to further longitudinal research on different ages and populations. A good handful of studies have been published on smartphone addiction however, further research needs to be done to answer more questions on the subject. As technology quickly advances and the use of cell-phones change, now cell-phones become smartphones, and thus research done just five to ten years ago has become less applicable. The term smartphone addiction as a behavioral disorder also needs to be defined and thus diagnoseable. Another issue that needs further research is what puts a person at greater risk for cell-phone addiction. Finally, how the disorder would be best treated needs to be further researched and determined. In one research paper, all of these questions cannot be answered. However, the hope with the following research is to add more knowledge to what puts a person at greater risk for smartphone addiction. This study will look at a population of 585 adolescents between the ages of 14-18. The adolescents’ cell phones will be monitored for usage by the TeenSafe monitoring app. The adolescents will take the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS) and with their parents they will also take the Parent Adolescent Relationship Questionnaire (PARQ) administered by a licensed psychologist. ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 9 Method Participants Participants in this research study included 585 adolescents between the ages of 14 – 18 years old. All participants owned smartphones at the time of the study. The teens were recruited in one of two ways. Recruitment through the TeenSafe cell phone monitoring application was how 300 of the participants were chosen. Another 285 were recruited through Elite Research, LLC, a global statistical consulting firm. All participants lived with one or more of their biological parents who also participated in the research. 585 parents, representing one parent of each child, participated in the research. A total of 1,170 individuals, made up of teens and their parents, participated. Informed consent was obtained from all participants and their parents. Participation was completely voluntary. All individuals were informed that they were participating in a study on adolescent behavior and potential influencing factors. After the completion of the study, participants were given more detailed information about the purpose and results of the study. In exchange for their participation in the study, participants were given one free year subscription to the TeenSafe cell phone application. Adolescent participants were made up of 55% female (n = 325) and 44% male (n = 260). The mean age of the sample was 17.23 years, (SD = 2.40). 88.1% of participants of the study racially identified as white (n =515), 10.6% African American (n = 62), 0.1% Asian/Pacific Islander (n = 2), 0.1% Latino (n = 2), and 0.1% other (n = 4). The mean duration of owning a smartphone of the survey participants was 24.95 months (SD = 10.98). All 100% of the participants live with one or more of their biological parents. A diversity of socioeconomic statuses and areas residence were represented by the participants. Independent Variable ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 10 Adolescent participants were administered the Mobile Phone Problem Use Scale (MPPUS). Tests were taken with paper and pencil and in-person. This is a 27 question test, which according to the authors, Bianchi and Phillips, covers addictive symptoms such as, “tolerance, escape from other problems, withdrawal, craving and negative life consequences in the areas of social, familial, work, and financial difficulties” (2015, p. 42). The 27 questions are answered on a 10-point scale ranging from 1 “not true at all” to 10 “extremely true” and resulting in a final score between 27–270 points (see Table 1). A higher score on the scale indicates greater addiction to one’s phone. TABLE 1. MOBILE PHONE PROBLEM USE SCALE (MPPUS) 1. I can never spend enough time on my mobile phone. 2. I have used my mobile phone to make myself feel better when I was feeling down. 3. I find myself occupied on my mobile phone when I should be doing other things, and it causes problems. 4. All my friends own a mobile phone. 5. I have tried to hide from others how much time I spend on my mobile phone. 6. I lose sleep due to the time I spend on my mobile phone. 7. I have received mobile phone bills I could not afford to pay. 8. When out of range for some time, I become preoccupied with the thought of missing a call. 9. Sometimes, when I am on the mobile phone and I am doing other things, I get carried away with the conversation and I don’t pay attention to what I am doing. 10. The time I spend on the mobile phone has increased over the last 12 months. 11. I have used my mobile phone to talk to others when I was feeling isolated. 12. I have attempted to spend less time on my mobile phone but am unable to. 13. I find it difficult to switch off my mobile phone. 14. I feel anxious if I have not checked for messages or switched on my mobile phone for some time. 15. I have frequent dreams about the mobile phone. 16. My friends and family complain about my use of the mobile phone. 17. If I don’t have a mobile phone, my friends would find it hard to get in touch with me. 18. My productivity has decreased as a direct result of the time I spend on the mobile phone. 19. I have aches and pains that are associated with my mobile phone use. 20. I find myself engaged on the mobile phone for longer periods of time than intended. 21. There are times when I would rather use the mobile phone than deal with other more pressing issues. 22. I am often late for appointments because I’m engaged on the mobile phone when I shouldn’t be. ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 11 23. I become irritable if I have to switch off my mobile phone for meetings, dinner engagements, or at the movies. 24. I have been told that I spend too much time on my mobile phone. 25. More than once I have been in trouble because my mobile phone has gone off during a meeting, lecture, or in a theatre. 26. My friends don’t like it when my mobile phone is switched off. 27. I feel lost without my mobile phone. Dependent Variable On the same day, and just after or before taking the MPPUS, adolescent participants and their parents were administered the Parent Adolescent Relationship Questionnaire (PARQ) which is required to be administered by a licensed psychologist. The licensed psychologist with the assistance of two graduate students administered the tests. Half of the group took the MPPUS first and the other half of the group took the PARQ first. The MPPUS test was self-administered and taken in an online format separately and in separate rooms by all participants. The PARQ includes different forms for parent and child, two validity scales, and thirteen clinical scales. This test analyzes the parent-adolescent relationship and covers a broad range of categories. In the 168 items across the 13 clinical scales, an adolescent’s perception of relationship with their mother, father, and siblings are analyzed. The 13 scales include: Conventionalization (CNV), Global Distress (GDS), Communication (COM), Problem Solving (PRSL), School Conflict (SCH), Sibling Conflict (SIB), Eating Conflict (EAT), Autonomy (AUT), Ruination (RUIN), Unfairness (FAIR), Cohesion (COH), Coalitions (COAL), and Triangulation (TRIANG) (Koepke, Moye, Robin, & PAR Staff, 2009). Results of the PARQ were analyzed and graded by the same licensed psychologist who administered the test with the assistance of their graduate students. ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 12 Results Results of the MPPUS were considered as the dependent variable and resulted in a mean of 145 (n = 145) and a standard deviation of 10.2 (SD = 10.2). This resulted in a normal distribution of the data. Participants results of the PARQ tests were considered the dependent variable and resulted in a mean 562 (n = 562) with a standard deviation of 69.5 (SD = 69.5). The distribution for the dependent variable was also normal. The variables were then analyzed for the strength of their relationship. A regression analysis was run to estimate the relationship between the independent and dependent variable. Results of the regression analysis were a p-value of 0.043 (p = 0.043) indicating no statistical significance. A Pearson correlation coefficient was also conducted to determine the strength of the relationship between MPPUS scores and PARQ scores. Results of the Pearson correlation were as such, an r value of 0.39 (r = 0.39). The results of the Pearson correlation indicated a small positive relationship between the variables. Overall, out of the 164 participants who scored high on the MPPUS, there was a very slight correlation with a higher PARQ conflict score and lower PARQ cohesion and communication scores. However, there was not enough of a relationship found to determine that higher MPPUS scores correlated to higher PARQ scores. The results rejected the hypothesis that there is a strong relationship between parent-adolescent relationships and smartphone addiction. Discussion Although the results were not as expected, the research indicates a small correlation between cell phone addiction and elevated PARQ conflict scores and decreased PARQ cohesion and communication scores. This finding points to a possible relationship between adolescentparental communication, cohesion, and conflict and smartphone addiction. Although the results ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 13 give some indication of a connection, a stronger relationship was expected to be found. However, in the end, there was not enough of a correlation to make a definitive statement on the issue. These unexpected results may be due to a couple of factors. One factor is the possibility of too broad a range of testing on the PARQ test. Using a more specific test with less than 13 complex scales may have a different outcome. The multiple scales and thus, multiple ways of seeing the adolescent-parent relationship may have been too many variables for the study. On the other hand, the MPPUS test is likely out of date as it was created for assessing cellphone addiction in 2005, which was just prior to the introduction of smartphones. At that time, cellphones were not being used in the same ways as today’s smartphones. Historically, cellphones prior to 2007 were used primarily for cellular phone calls and texting. Smartphones however, are more akin to miniature computers which allows them to run applications far beyond phone calls such as games, shopping, web browsing, messaging, and social media, and more. This difference may cause some of the questions on the MPPUS to be less applicable to the current usage of smartphones and, at the same time, may be lacking questions that would be applicable to smartphones. Unfortunately, there is no test readily available specific to smartphones and addiction and the MPPUS is currently the best assessment. By refining the tests used and data assessed, results of another study could be more indicative of a relationship. More research, with these modification, should be done to determine what makes an adolescent at risk for behavioral addiction and especially for smartphone addiction. It is known from previous research that adolescents from homes with poor parental relationships are at a higher incidence for risky behaviors. However, there does not appear to be a strong link with overall smartphone use. More research may need to be done on the specific ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 14 types of smartphone use and risks associated. Considering that there are multiple ways that smartphones can be used such as messaging, gaming, shopping, social networking and more, narrowing down research to the specific types of uses, may result in more answers. For adolescents with poor family relationships, that are prone to lacking social connection and acceptance, it may be necessary to look at more specific forms of smartphone use. Perhaps poor parental relationships would be closer linked to dysfunctional social media usage than overall smartphone use. Further research is also suggested on the link between social media use and parental relationships. Some important things that we do know about adolescents and smartphones is that there is a correlation between children who get phones before the age of 13 and a higher incidence of problematic smartphone use and addiction (De-Sola Gutiérrez, Rodríguez de Fonseca, & Rubio, 2016). As the majority of kids get their phones around the age of 10, the correlation between kids under 13 and problematic smartphone use and addiction is a startling statistic (Donovan, 2016). If adolescents are going to have phones at a young age, there need to be steady guidelines around them. Most importantly, this is because of adolescents’ limited self-control. For example, it can be preventative to set limits for adolescents on time used, educate them on purposeful use, and especially mandate that they put them away before bed time so that smartphones do not interrupt their sleep. Creating these healthy habits early for smartphone use will also help them as they grow and develop into healthy adults. Creating strong bonds between parents and adolescents can also be beneficial in many ways. This is true even if the relationships do not directly prevent smartphone addiction. We do know that these relationships function as a preventative measure for the adolescents involved and provide a stable foundation for adolescent development. First off, healthy relationships between ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 15 adolescents and their parents can decrease risk taking behavior. As previously stated, these relationships can also help adolescents to be less likely to get involved in excessive drinking, drug use and risky sexual behavior. Parents who spend quality time engaging with their adolescents, listening to them, and supporting their growth can do a lot to shape the adults that their children will become. One additional issue for the study is that the diagnosis of behavioral addictions needs to be defined and included in DSM literature. It only takes one looking around most social settings to see how many people are on their smartphones instead of engaging with each other and their environment. Smartphones are highly appealing devices that most people have within their reach at all times. Even those without tendencies towards addiction need to use smartphones mindfully to prevent overuse and the detrimental effects of overuse on their lives. Thus, as technology advances and smartphones evolve into smart-watches, smart-glasses, and beyond, prevention and treatment of addiction to these devices will be even more important. Knowing the causes and risk factors for behavioral addiction can help with prevention and to plan treatment for those affected. In many ways, technology makes human lives easier and more fulfilling and having constant access to technology is unlikely to decrease. Thus, it vital for humans to learn how to relate to technology in healthy and manageable ways. For parents, teachers, and others influential in the life of adolescents, it is even more vital to help these young people understand the risks of smartphone over use and create healthy habits around these devices. ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 16 References Bianchi A., Phillips, J. (2015). Psychological predictors of problem mobile phone use. Cyberpsychology & Behvior Vol 8, No. 1. De-Sola Gutiérrez, J., Rodríguez de Fonseca, F., & Rubio, G. (2016). Cell-phone addiction: A review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 7, 175. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00175 Dieckman, N., Weller J. A., Shackleford, C., Slovic, P. (2013). Possession attachment predicts cell phone use while driving. Health Psychology, Vol. 32, No. 4, 379–38. Koepke, T., Moye, A., Robin A., and PAR Staff (2009). PARQ-SP adolescent score report. Retrieved from http://www4.parinc.com/WebUploads/samplerpts/PARQ_Adol_Score_Report.pdf Lapierre, M. A., & Lewis, M. N. (2016, April 21). Should it stay or should it go now? Smartphones and relational health. Psychology of Popular Media Culture. Advance online publication. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000119 Moretti, M. M., & Peled, M. (2004). Adolescent-parent attachment: bonds that support healthy development. Paediatrics & Child Health, 9(8), 551–555. Perrier, C. K., Boucher, R., Etchegary, H., Sadava, S. W., & Molnar, D. S. (2010). The overlapping contributions of attachment orientation and social support in predicting lifeevents distress. Canadian Journal Of Behavioural Science / Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 42(2), 71-79. doi:10.1037/a0018337 Siddiqui M., Ali A. Z. (Dec 2015). Addictive cell phone usage: The relationship between impulsiveness and behavioral addiction. Pakistan Journal of Psychology 46, 2, 53-67. ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 17 Vivona, J. M. (2000). Parental attachment styles of late adolescents: Qualities of attachment relationships and consequences for adjustment. Journal Of Counseling Psychology, 47(3), 316-329. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.47.3.316 ADOLESCENT SMARTPHONE ADDICTION 18 You need to show the mock data in your Results section, and also you need inferential statistics as I mentioned the last time. What method did you use to show that those with involved parents fared better than those who do not have involved parents? OLVI 11 hods ation sed to tage was s by which had the highes, purcentage rate. Results ading factor for cyberbullying was from children olescents felt like the only way to get over what enge. They then proceeded to identify those who This was aided by the fact that they could maintain Individual Feedback Discussion: Interpretation: Jason - You said you collected percentages and means in the Method - You need to make those up in the Results. Also you need a correlation or some statistical analysis to show that those who said they had parental guidance experienced less problems with cyberbullying. With that in the Method and Results, your Discussion will follow. Articulation of Response: See notes on the paper - no reference to yourself as "my" or in any other way. Write in the third person throughout. View Inline Feedback View Graded Rubric
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