Abstract:
This project aims to improve current policy and practice on technology-involved harassment victimization by examining it within the context of other types of youth victimization, risk, and protective factors. Methods: Data are from the Technology Harassment Victimization (THV) Study, funded by the National Institute of Justice – a national survey of a subset of 791 youth, ages 10-20, who took part in the Second National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV II) in 2011-2012. Results: 34% of youth reported 311 harassment incidents in the past year: 54% of incidents involved no technology (in-person only), 15% involved only technology and 31% involved both technology and inperson harassment (mixed incidents). Findings from a parsimonious linear regression model found mixed incidents were more likely to result in overall negative emotional impact even after adjusting for other incident characteristics predictive of emotional harm. Across the 311 peer harassment incidents, 80% involved the presence of at least one bystander in addition to the respondent and the harassing youth. There were no differences in whether a bystander was present across in-person only harassment, technology-only harassment, or mixed harassment incidents. Youth who experienced mixed harassment reported the highest average number of different types of victimization two years prior (M = 8.4) and were also the most likely to be classified as poly-victims (34%). Prior poly-victims were over four times more likely than non-poly-victims to experienced mixed harassment victimization two years later compared to non-harassed youth in Wave 2. In addition to amount of victimization, the number of prior adverse life events is also predictive of mixed harassment. Youth experiencing mixed harassment were also more likely to be female, live in a higher socioeconomic -status household, and less likely to live with both biological parents. Implications: This study is among the first to examine the complexity of technology involvement in peer harassment at the incident-level. Findings should help to quell concerns about possible inherently harmful features of technology; indeed technology-only harassment incidents were among the least problematic and upsetting to youth. Youth reporting mixed technology and in-person harassment should be a priority for educators and prevention experts who are trying to identify the most serious and harmful experiences. (CVRL Note: see also NIJ bulletin on the survey’s findings, The Role of Technology in Youth Harassment Victimization.) (Author Abstract)