Dan Olweus' pioneering work on traditional bullying laid the foundation for how cyberbullying is defined and measured today. Many researchers believe that these two forms of bullying share some similarities. However, two perspectives have been outlined for the relationship between traditional bullying and cyberbullying--the extension perspective…

Objectives: Addresses the role that psychological distress (i.e. depression and anxiety) plays in mediating the relationship between workplace harassment (i.e. sexual and generalized workplace harassment) and increased alcohol problems among employed college students. Participants: Two waves of data were collected from 905 study participants…

Introduction: The use of social media tools is increasing day by day. In addition to its positive use, social media tools are also used in the virtual environment to harm others. This harmful use is noted as cyber-bullying. Determining the factors affecting cyber-bullying is of great importance in terms of contributing to intervention studies.…

Objective: To determine the direct and indirect effects of sexual assault on sleep health in varsity athletes. Participants: Varsity athletes (n = 2,910) who completed the Fall 2019 or 2020 administrations of the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment III. Methods: We combined exploratory factor analysis and…

Objective: To examine whether sexual assault prospectively predicts unhealthy weight management behaviors in college women. Method: Participants were female college students (N = 483) with monthly assessments across the first year, including the frequency and severity of sexual assault and unhealthy weight management behaviors. Results: Frequency…

Heteronormativity posits the superiority of heterosexuality and heterosexually-based norms over all other forms of sexual or gender expression, and heteronormative beliefs have been shown to affect how individuals view sexuality and gender. The concept of gender transition inherently goes against the ideals of heteronormativity. The current study…

Campus sexual assault (CSA) is a pervasive problem among US college students. Large scale, methodologically similar studies frequently find that between 20-25% of women and 6-7% of men are sexually victimized during their time at 4 year colleges and universities in the US (Cantor et al., 2015, 2019; Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000; Krebs et…

A lack of empathy for victimized individuals has been cited as a reason for why bystanders fail to intervene when they witness bullying. However, limited research has addressed how different empathic and compassionate responses could account for diverse bystander behaviors. In this study, we investigated the unique associations of empathic…

The rise in highly publicized cases of sexual assault, along with offenders in these cases alluding that those alleged victims were being untruthful about their claims, has fostered myths about false reporting of sexual assault, increasing discussions over fears of being falsely accused. This study uses an exploratory approach to identify the…

This study examined the relationship between polyvictimization, psychological distress, and trauma symptoms in college men and women. Childhood victimization was common among participants. Regression analyses revealed that polyvictimization (i.e., high cumulative levels of victimization) is a better predictor of psychological distress and trauma…

Collegiate esports communities are as prone to bullying as other campus social spaces are. This pilot study surveyed student members of competitive online gaming clubs on a midsized university campus. Participants self-reported bullying experiences both in and out of game and indicated whether they primarily play support roles or core roles within…

Researchers have accumulated much social scientific knowledge about the scope, distribution, causes, and outcomes of the physical and sexual abuse of female students in North American institutions of higher learning. However, surveys of technology-facilitated stalking and the dissemination of unwanted sexual messages/images in college campus…

Gun control is a highly debated and divisive social issue. In recent years, this issue has been thrust into the academic arena with the advent of campus carry legislation and policies. Researchers have taken up the task of attempting to better understand the attitudes of those most affected by campus carry legislation -- the campus community. The…

The authors examined the potential long-term effects of peer victimization experiences during childhood on attachment quality in current adult relationships in a sample of 386 university students attending 2 northeastern universities. Findings included (a) no significant gender differences regarding verbal or relational peer victimization; (b)…

Objective: To investigate the predictive role of victimization in suicidality among college women. Participants: Female respondents to the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment II (N = 258). Methods: Multivariate logistic regression analyses examined the relationship between victimization and suicidality. Results:…