The goal of this three-year longitudinal study was to examine the buffering effect of parental mediation of adolescents' technology use (i.e., restrictive, co-viewing, and instructive) on the relationships among cyber aggression involvement and substance use (i.e., alcohol use, marijuana use, cigarette smoking, and non-marijuana illicit drug use). Overall, 867 (Mage = 13.67, age range from 13-15 years, 51% female, 49% White) 8th grade adolescents from the Midwestern United States participated in this study during the 6th grade (Wave 1), 7th grade (Wave 2), and 8th grade (Wave 3). Results revealed that higher levels of Wave 2 instructive mediation weakened the association between Wave 1 cyber victimization and Wave 3 alcohol use and Wave 3 non-marijuana illicit drug use. The relationship was stronger between Wave 1 cyber victimization and Wave 3 alcohol use and Wave 3 non-marijuana illicit drug use when adolescents reported lower levels of Wave 2 instructive mediation. At lower levels of Wave 2 instructive mediation, the association between Wave 1 cyber aggression perpetration and Wave 3 non-marijuana illicit drug use was stronger. Implications of these findings are discussed in the context of parents recognizing their role in helping to mitigate the negative consequences associated with adolescents' cyber aggression involvement.

Department of Educational Studies University of Potsdam 14476 Potsdam Germany

Department of Psychology Pennsylvania State University State College PA 16802 USA

Faculty of Social Studies Masaryk University 60200 Brno Czech Republic

See more in PubMed

David-Ferdon C., Hertz M.F. Electronic Media, Violence, and Adolescents: An Emerging Public Health Problem. J. Adolesc. Health. 2007;41:S1–S5. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.08.020. PubMed DOI

Grigg D.W. Cyber-Aggression: Definition and Concept of Cyberbullying. Aust. J. Guid. Couns. 2010;20:143–156. doi: 10.1375/ajgc.20.2.143. DOI

Kowalski R.M., Limber S.P. Electronic Bullying Among Middle School Students. J. Adolesc. Health. 2007;41:S22–S30. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.08.017. PubMed DOI

Topçu Ç., Erdur-Baker Ö., Çapa-Aydin Y. Examination of Cyberbullying Experiences among Turkish Students from Different School Types. CyberPsychol. Behav. 2008;11:643–648. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2007.0161. PubMed DOI

Walker C.M., Sockman B.R., Koehn S. An Exploratory Study of Cyberbullying with Undergraduate University Students. TechTrends. 2011;55:31–38.

Wolak J., Mitchell K.J., Finkelhor D. Does Online Harassment Constitute Bullying? An Exploration of Online Harassment by Known Peers and Online-Only Contacts. J. Adolesc. Health. 2007;41:S51–S58. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.08.019. PubMed DOI

Ybarra M.L., Diener-West M., Leaf P.J. Examining the Overlap in Internet Harassment and School Bullying: Implications for School Intervention. J. Adolesc. Health. 2007;41:S42–S50. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.09.004. PubMed DOI

Wright M.F., Li Y. The Association between Cyber Victimization and Subsequent Cyber Aggression: The Moderating Effect of Peer Rejection. J. Youth Adolesc. 2013;42:662–674. doi: 10.1007/s10964-012-9903-3. PubMed DOI

Wright M.F. Predictors of Anonymous Cyber Aggression: The Role of Adolescents’ Beliefs about Anonymity, Aggression, and the Permanency of Digital Content. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 2014;17:431–438. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2013.0457. PubMed DOI

Suler J. The Online Disinhibition Effect. CyberPsychol. Behav. 2004;7:321–326. doi: 10.1089/1094931041291295. PubMed DOI

Udris R. Cyberbullying among high school students in Japan: Development and validation of the Online Disinhibition Scale. Comput. Hum. Behav. 2014;41:253–261. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.09.036. DOI

Bauman S., Toomey R.B., Walker J.L. Associations among bullying, cyberbullying, and suicide in high school students. J. Adolesc. 2013;36:341–350. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.12.001. PubMed DOI

Campbell M., Spears B., Slee P., Butler D., Kift S. Victims’ perceptions of traditional and cyberbullying, and the psychosocial correlates of their victimisation. Emot. Behav. Diffic. 2012;17:389–401. doi: 10.1080/13632752.2012.704316. DOI

Hinduja S., Patchin J.W. Cyberbullying: An exploratory analysis of factors related to offending and victimization. Deviant Behav. 2008;29:129–156. doi: 10.1080/01639620701457816. DOI

Kowalski R.M., Limber S.P. Psychological, Physical, and Academic Correlates of Cyberbullying and Traditional Bullying. J. Adolesc. Health. 2013;53:S13–S20. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.09.018. PubMed DOI

Wright M.F. Adolescents’ cyber aggression perpetration and cyber victimization: The longitudinal associations with school functioning. Soc. Psychol. Educ. 2015;18:653–666. doi: 10.1007/s11218-015-9318-6. DOI

Gámez-Guadix M., Orue I., Smith P.K., Calvete E. Longitudinal and Reciprocal Relations of Cyberbullying with Depression, Substance Use, and Problematic Internet Use among Adolescents. J. Adolesc. Health. 2013;53:446–452. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.03.030. PubMed DOI

Goebert D., Else I., Matsu C., Chung-Do J., Chang J.Y. The Impact of Cyberbullying on Substance Use and Mental Health in a Multiethnic Sample. Matern. Child Health J. 2011;15:1282–1286. doi: 10.1007/s10995-010-0672-x. PubMed DOI

Korchmaros J.D., Mitchell K.J., Ybarra M.L. Technology-Based Interpersonal Victimization: Predictors of Patterns of Victimization over Time. J. Interpers. Violence. 2014;29:1297–1317. doi: 10.1177/0886260513506277. PubMed DOI

Wright M.F. The buffering effect of parental mediation in the relationship between adolescents’ cyberbullying victimisation and adjustment difficulties. Child Abus. Rev. 2016;25:345–358. doi: 10.1002/car.2448. DOI

Wright M.F., Li Y. Kicking the Digital Dog: A Longitudinal Investigation of Young Adults’ Victimization and Cyber-Displaced Aggression. Cyberpsychol. Behav. Soc. Netw. 2012;15:448–454. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2012.0061. PubMed DOI

Livingstone S., Helsper E.J. Parental Mediation of Children’s Internet Use. J. Broadcast. Electron. Media. 2008;52:581–599. doi: 10.1080/08838150802437396. DOI

Dehue F., Bolman C., Völlink T. Cyberbullying: Youngsters’ Experiences and Parental Perception. Cyberpsychol. Behav. 2008;11:217–223. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2007.0008. PubMed DOI

Mesch G.S. Parental Mediation, Online Activities, and Cyberbullying. Cyberpsychol. Behav. 2009;12:387–393. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2009.0068. PubMed DOI

Navarro R., Serna C., Martínez V., Ruiz-Oliva R. The role of Internet use and parental mediation on cyberbullying victimization among Spanish children from rural public schools. Eur. J. Psychol. Educ. 2013;28:725–745. doi: 10.1007/s10212-012-0137-2. DOI

Van den Eijnden R.J.J.M., Meerkerk G.-J., Vermulst A.A., Spijkerman R., Engels R.C.M.E. Online communication, compulsive internet use, and psychosocial well-being among adolescents: A longitudinal study. Dev. Psychol. 2008;44:655–665. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.44.3.655. PubMed DOI

Wright M.F. Cyber victimization and adjustment difficulties: The mediation of Chinese and American adolescents’ digital technology usage. Cyberpsychol. J. Psychosoc. Res. Cyberspace. 2015;9:7. doi: 10.5817/CP2015-1-7. DOI

Arrizabalaga-Crespo C., Aierbe-Barandiaran A., Medrano-Samaniego C. Internet Uses and parental mediation in adolescents with ADHD. Rev. Lat. Comun. Soc. 2010;65:561–571.

Barnes G.M., Reifman A.S., Farrell M.P., Dintcheff B.A. The effects of parenting on the development of adolescent alcohol misuse: A six-wave latent growth model. J. Marriage Fam. 2000;62:175–186. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.00175.x. DOI

Cernkovich S.A., Giordano P.C. Family relationships and delinquency. Criminology. 1987;25:295–319. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-9125.1987.tb00799.x. DOI

Frick P.J., Christian R.E., Wootton J.M. Age trends in the association between parenting practices and conduct problems. Behav. Modif. 1999;23:106–128. doi: 10.1177/0145445599231005. DOI

Mounts N.S. Parental management of adolescent peer relationships in context: The role of parenting style. J. Fam. Psychol. 2002;16:58–69. doi: 10.1037/0893-3200.16.1.58. PubMed DOI

Smith P.K., Mahdavi J., Carvalho M., Fisher S., Russell S., Tippett N. Cyberbullying: Its nature and impact in secondary school pupils. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry. 2008;49:376–385. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01846.x. PubMed DOI

Wright M.F., Li Y., Shi J. Chinese Adolescents’ Social Status Goals: Associations with Behaviors and Attributions for Relational Aggression. Youth Soc. 2014;46:566–588. doi: 10.1177/0044118X12448800. DOI

Mason K.L. Cyberbullying: A preliminary assessment for school personnel. Psychol. Sch. 2008;45:323–348. doi: 10.1002/pits.20301. DOI

Muthén L.K., Muthén B.O. Mplus 7.3 [Software] Muthén and Muthén; Los Angeles, CA, USA: 1998.

Luk J.W., Wang J., Simons-Morton B.G. The co-occurrence of substance use and bullying behaviors among U.S. adolescents: Understanding demographic characteristics and social influences. J. Adolesc. 2012;35:1351–1360. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.05.003. PubMed DOI PMC

Ringwalt C., Shamblen S. Is There an Association between Adolescent Bullying Victimization and Substance Abuse? J. Drug Educ. 2012;42:447–467. doi: 10.2190/DE.42.4.e. PubMed DOI

Ttofi M.M., Farrington D.P., Lösel F., Crago R.V., Theodorakis N. School bullying and drug use later in life: A meta-analytic investigation. Sch. Psychol. Q. 2016;31:8–27. doi: 10.1037/spq0000120. PubMed DOI

Vazsonyi A.T., Machackova H., Sevcikova A., Smahel D., Cerna A. Cyberbullying in context: Direct and indirect effects by low self-control across 25 European countries. Eur. J. Dev. Psychol. 2012;9:210–227. doi: 10.1080/17405629.2011.644919. DOI

Wachs S., Junger M., Sittichai R. Traditional, Cyber and Combined Bullying Roles: Differences in Risky Online and Offline Activities. Societies. 2015;5:109–135. doi: 10.3390/soc5010109. DOI

Livingstone S., Haddon L., Görzig A., Ólafsson K. Risks and Safety on the Internet: The Perspective of European Children. EU Kids Online, London School of Economics and Political Science; London, UK: 2011. pp. 9–16.

Nikken P., de Haan J. Guiding young children’s internet use at home: Problems that parents experience in their parental mediation and the need for parenting support. Cyberpsychol. J. Psychosoc. Res. Cyberspace. 2015;9 doi: 10.5817/CP2015-1-3. DOI

Talves K., Kalmus V. Gendered mediation of children’s internet use: A keyhole for looking into changing socialization practices. Cyberpsychol. J. Psychosoc. Res. Cyberspace. 2015;9:3. doi: 10.5817/CP2015-1-4. DOI

Cheng S.-T., Cheung K.C.C., Cheung C. Peer victimization and depression among Hong Kong adolescents. J. Clin. Psychol. 2008;64:766–776. doi: 10.1002/jclp.20489. PubMed DOI

Ybarra M.L., Mitchell K.J., Palmer N.A., Reisner S.L. Online social support as a buffer against online and offline peer and sexual victimization among U.S. LGBT and non-LGBT youth. Child Abus. Negl. 2015;39:123–136. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.08.006. PubMed DOI PMC

Clarke K., Cooper P., Creswell C. The Parental Overprotection Scale: Associations with child and parental anxiety. J. Affect. Disord. 2013;151:618–624. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2013.07.007. PubMed DOI PMC

Lereya S.T., Samara M., Wolke D. Parenting behavior and the risk of becoming a victim and a bully/victim: A meta-analysis study. Child Abus. Negl. 2013;37:1091–1108. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.03.001. PubMed DOI