Browsing by Author "Stoddard, Sarah A."
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Item Cyberbullying Among Chilean Students and the Protective Effects of Positive School Communities(2017) Varela, Jorge J.; Zimmerman, Marc A.; Ryanc, Allison M.; Stoddard, Sarah A.Cyberbullying is a type of bullying that involves the use of technology to harm other students. Most researchers have examined individual-level characteristics, but the perception of school climate and school characteristics such as type, size, and level of vulnerabilities have not been considered using multilevel methods. Using a sample of 8,237 Chilean seventh graders from 1,322 schools we examined individual- and school-level predictors of cyberbullying perpetration. Cyberbullying perpetration was predicted by prior victimization, interpersonal relationships, and gender. We found an interaction effect between interpersonal relationships and teacher support for victims. Our findings support the notion that school policies and culture can play a vital role in the prevention of cyberbullying, supporting a protective resilience model.Item Future Expectations, Attitude Toward Violence, and Bullying Perpetration During Early Adolescence: A Mediation Evaluation(2015) Stoddard, Sarah A.; Varela, Jorge J.; Zimmerman, MarcBackground: Hopeful future expectations have been linked to positive developmental outcomes in adolescence; however, the association between future expectations and bullying perpetration has received less attention. Objectives: We examined the relationship between future expectations and physical and relational bullying perpetration and tested a mediation model that linked future expectations with bullying through attitude toward violence. Methods: Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationship between future expectations and bullying perpetration (relational and physical) and to test whether these relationships were mediated by attitude toward violence in a sample of U.S. seventh-grade students (Mage = 12.86 years, N = 196, 60% female, 46% African American). Results: Attitude toward violence fully mediated the relationship between future expectations and physical bullying (indirect effects = −0.08, 95% CI [−0.15, −0.01], R2 = .17). The relationship between future expectations and relational bullying was partially mediated by attitudes toward violence (indirect effects = −0.07, 95% CI [−0.14, −0.002], R2 = .20). Discussion: Our findings suggest that future expectations can play a role in reducing attitude toward violence and physical and relational bullying perpetration among youth. Interventions that help support the development of future goals and aspirations could play a vital role in bullying prevention efforts.Item School Attachment and Violent Attitudes Preventing Future Violent Behavior Among Youth(2018) Varela, Jorge J.; Zimmerman, Marc A.; Ryan, Allison M.; Stoddard, Sarah A.; Heinze, Justin E.Evidence derived from social information theories support the existence of different underlying cognitive mechanisms guiding violent behavior through life. However, a few studies have examined the contribution of school variables to those cognitive mechanisms, which may help explain violent behavior later in life. The present study examines the relationship between school attachment, violent attitudes, and violent behavior over time in a sample of urban adolescents from the U.S. Midwest. We evaluated the influence of school attachment on violent attitudes and subsequent violent behavior. We used structural equation modeling to test our hypothesis in a sample of 579 participants (54.9% female, 81.3% African American). After controlling for gender and race, our results indicated that the relationship between school attachment and violent behavior over time is mediated by violent attitudes. The instrumentalization of the school context as a learning environment aiming to prevent future violent behavior is also discussed.