DESIGNING EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS TO PREVENT CYBER-BULLYING

DESIGNING EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS TO PREVENT CYBER-BULLYING

Social media is understood as the “different forms of online communications used by people to create networks and communities, and collectives to share information, ideas, messages, and other content, such as videos.” 

Since the creation of the first social media website in 1997- Six degrees- it has made world a smaller place by being able to connect people and building a community.  Currently, Facebook is the leading Social Network Site (SNS) and almost 71 per cent of adolescents in North American have some form of social media.However, one of the biggest backlogs of social media is cyber-bullying. Cyber bullying refers to the use of computers, mobile phones, and other devices to engage in deliberate, repeated, aggressive acts to harm others. Considering anyone can create profiles, account and make posts on them without being traced, it has become a common phenomenon to bully on Social Networking Sites. According to statistics, 57 percent of students reportedly engage in or have become a victim of some form of cyberbullying, that is, more than half of school-ages children are either a victim or a perpetrator of cyberbullying.

Cyber-bullying on Social Network Sites include:

1.     Posting intentionally hurtful, offensive, or intimidating messages, comments, or status updates

2.     Creating hate groups

3.     Sharing humiliating images

4.     Excluding someone from events, networks, or conversation.

The biggest challenge to eliminating cyber bullying is the fact that cyberbullying is not limited by time or location. These acts tend to be anonymous, follow a repetitive trend and can be shared. Moreover, the un-monitored nature of these platforms provides methods to make posts without being held accountable for. Additionally, both the victims and those committing this are at a high risk for suicide. Therefore, it is necessary to develop intervention programs for prevention of cyber-bullying. 

 In a study by Hood &Duffy (2018), which assessed the extent to which personality factors, demographic factors and situational factors affect the relationship between victimization and bullying on Social Networking sites in school-aged children.

• · Personality traits include:

o   moral disengagement (which refers to the process of convincing oneself that ethical standards do not apply to them)
o   cognitive empathy (the ability to understand and experience and share others’ emotional state)
o   affective empathy (the ability to understand another person’s emotional state).

• ·       Demographic factors include sex and age
• ·       Situational factors that were assessed time adolescents spend on the internet and parental monitoring of internet use  

The results of the study found that those who are high on moral disengagement i.e are more easily able to convince themselves that ethical standards do not apply to them were more likely to engage in cyber-bullying. Additionally, parental monitoring weakens the relationship between cyber-bullying and cyber-victimization, in the sense that both cyber-victimization and cyber- bullying are lower when children perceive that their activity on the internet is being monitored.The implication of this study is that intervention programs designed to reduce and prevent cyber-bullying should emphasize the importance of parents monitoring the activity of their children. This will not only discourage the bullies from performing such acts but also encourage the victims of such acts to reach out for help.

• Hood, M., & Duffy, A. L. (2018). Understanding the relationship between cyber-victimisation and cyber-bullying on social network sites: The role of moderating factors. Personality and Individual Differences, 133, 103-108. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.04.004

Utilization of Mental Health Services for All

Canada has the 7th largest immigrant and refugee population in the world. Migrants from all over the world travel to Canada in the hope of living better lives and better resources available to them. Only to realize that some of these resources are not fit for their needs. As an immigrant myself, I can say that immigration is definitely not an easy process and has many obstacles that can increase the chances of mental illness. From understanding the system to overcoming the cultural barriers, migrants face multiple challenges that make adaptation difficult.  These premigration and postmigration stressors can result in poor mental health outcomes in refugee and immigrant populations. Additionally, migrant populations do not have access to the appropriate resources they need due to additional barriers in the system. 

 In Canada, immigrants on average arrive with advantageous mental health when compared to the Canadian-born population. However, as the length of stay in Canada increases their mental well-being and general mental health declines. This is known as the "healthy immigrant effect". The healthy immigrant effect is explained by unique stressors that immigrants experience and the inadequate resources available to them that can lead to a decline in their mental health and well-being. 

The mental health of immigrant populations is a neglected issue that is in need of immediate attention. Few mental health services are specific to the need of diverse cultures, are economically accessible and address the barriers that immigrants face. Furthermore, many refugees arrive with existing mental health problems that are not recognized in a timely manner. This calls for better and efficient resources for migrants. A study by Salami, Salma  & Hegadoren (2018), identifies barriers and strategies recognized by immigrant service providers (ISP) that have the potential to enhance prevention and treatment of mental health in immigrants and refugees. 

If you are an immigrant then you know that the immigrant service providers are the first and most influential contact upon arrival. Immigrant service providers take the role of helping immigrants resettle, overcome cultural barriers, find jobs and everything else that aid in the resettlement process. Thus it would make sense that they are often the first people to recognize someone is suffering from a mental health concern and needs care. 49 ISPs from Alberta participated in this study and identified three major barriers to accessing mental health services in immigrants and refugees. These barriers are listed below:

• Language and Cultural Barriers: In many cultures, mental health issues are not recognized as an illness that needs treatment. These cultures may perceive mental illness as an individual being weak or a test of their faith. Additionally, they may not recognize the symptoms of mental illness and have stereotypical views of what mental health concerns may entail. Lastly, due to language barriers, they may need the help of interpreters which make the treatment process even more difficult. 

• Persistence of Stigma: Stigma in regards to mental illness is both internalized and externalized in ethnic populations. The individual may feel a sense of shame or failure. They feel responsible to resolve the issue by themselves and not seek help. The people around them will also try to hide the issue that a family member or a close relative is suffering. Recognition of a problem may lead to discrimination and social exclusions from the rest of the community. Mental health concerns are often not recognized as a legitimate issue and result in individuals suffering alone and not seeking the help they need. 

• Fear of Negative Repercussions: The ISPs identified that many immigrants and refugees fear that admitting that they are suffering from mental illness would result in negative repercussions from the Canadian government. They feared that they might lose custody of their child, be deported or even terminated from their jobs.

• Presence of Systematic Access Barriers: Lastly, other identified barriers were the high financial cost and none flexible hours to meet the needs of immigrants and refugees. Immigrants and refugees already face an economic barrier compared to the rest of the population, and find it difficult to pay for therapy and treatment sessions. Additionally, free services are limited and the referrals take from weeks to even months for them to get the services they need. 

Improving Mental Health Services 

In light of these findings, community-based mental health services would suit the needs of migrants. They will provide easily accessible and flexible resources that provide information about mental health and familiarize it in ethnic communities. Additionally, mental health services need to be enhanced to use holistic approaches that combine the various needs of immigrants while overcoming the cultural and stigmatization barriers. A proper language to address mental health in migrant populations that appeals to them and takes away the stigma should be established. Furthermore, ISPs need additional and more competent training. ISPs hold a significant role in identifying migrants with mental health issues and guide them throughout the support process. However, many of these ISPs feel that they lack the proper training to address such issues. 

Immigrants and refugees experience barriers to accessing mental health services. These barriers were mentioned as language and cultural barriers, stigma in communities and fear of negative repercussions, that are a result of unfamiliarity to the Canadian system. Services need to be enhanced to overcome the barriers and also be economically accessible to migrant populations. Although many mental health services exist this does not mean that they are the proper services. Mental health services should be easily accessible to all cultures and backgrounds. 

Salami, B., Salma, J., & Hegadoren, K. (2018). Access and utilization of mental health services for immigrants and refugees: Perspectives of immigrant service providers. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/10.1111/inm.12512

2019 Agnes Penner Prize Winners

Congratulations to Rorshack bloggers Hannah Hunter, Michael Moes, Hailley White, & Derek Boswell who were awarded the Agnes Penner Prize for the Applications of Psychological Science project with the greatest potential to benefit society! Their project, ADDAM: Assessing and Diagnosing Depression Accurately in Men, is a best-practices document to improve assessment of depression in men for primary and secondary care workers.