Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Cyberbullying and Internet Addiction Gifted Teens 2020
Cyberbullying and Internet Addiction Gifted Teens 2020
research-article2020
GCQXXX10.1177/0016986220919338Gifted Child QuarterlyGarcia et al.
Feature Article
Abstract
The present article analyzed whether there are differences between gifted and nongifted teenagers in relation to cyberbullying
(either as aggressor or victim) and to Internet addiction (in both the intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions). Furthermore,
the existing relationships between cyberbullying and Internet addiction were explored in a sample of gifted teenagers and
their nongifted classmates. Participants were 122 adolescents between 13 and 17 years of age (M = 14.40), in compulsory
secondary education, half of whom were considered gifted students. The data obtained through a matched case-control
study design revealed no significant differences between gifted students and the rest of the students in terms of the incidence
of cyberbullying and Internet addiction. Nevertheless, results from generalized linear models revealed the important role that
interpersonal conflicts deriving from Internet addiction play in explaining situations of cyberbullying.
Keywords
bullying, generalized linear models, gifted, Internet addiction
Cyberbullying, based on an analysis of the most common that gifted students, in the last years of primary and first
definitions, has been characterized as “any behavior carried years of secondary, are generally well accepted by their
out through electronic or digital media by an individual or a peers, postulating that these students could have low ratios in
group that repeatedly communicates hostile or aggressive these situations, with a lower likelihood in the role of victim
messages with the intention of inflicting harm or discomfort or aggressor, in comparison with other students. This latter
on others” (Tokunaga, 2010, p. 278). This modality of bully- perspective emphasizes the fact that people identified as
ing increases the effect of traditional bullying as it blurs the gifted tend to have higher levels of social functioning, proso-
time and geographical boundaries in which attacks are car- cial behavior, and exceptional empathy (Estell et al., 2009),
ried out, enables their durability, and greatly amplifies the and also a greater capacity for resistance and emotional
potential audience thereof (Sureda et al., 2009). strength. These characteristics are related to an adequate
To find out whether certain personal and group character- social self-concept (Bain & Bell, 2004; Robinson, 2008) and
istics are associated with the generation and maintenance of to efficient coping strategies (Cross et al., 2015), which
situations of bullying—whether in classical modalities or would favor greater success when faced with stressful social–
based on ICT—relationships between this phenomenon and emotional situations.
gifted students, among others, have been analyzed. The lit- There exists yet a third perspective, which indicates that
erature has not shown whether students identified as gifted gifted students tend to experience the same levels of bullying
are more prone to participate, either as a bully or as a victim, and victimization as the rest of students. Parker and Bain
in bullying situations. Schuler (2002) suggested that they (2011) found no differences in the ratios of aggressors or vic-
seem to be more prone to be the victim of bullying behavior, tims between gifted and nonidentified teenage students.
while Cross (2001) indicated than they seem to be more Mitchell (2011) revealed that gifted students did not neces-
prone to be the aggressor. More concretely, Peterson and Ray sarily understand the risks involved in using the Internet any
(2006) recognized that situations of bullying exist among better than less gifted students, and that their participation in
gifted students, and its prevalence rises with age. These cyberbullying, whether as victims, bullies, or both, was simi-
authors used a sample of early childhood, primary, and sec- lar to the rest of students. This last focus suggests there is no
ondary students to conclude that being gifted meant a predis- relationship between giftedness and bullying, either in the
position to being intimidated by others. Factors such as role of victim or as the aggressor.
negative stereotypes, jealousy of other students, or hatred of Current research does not support or refute that gifted stu-
the gifted student's abilities might also contribute to negative dents tend to experience more cyberbullying and a greater
attitudes toward gifted adolescents (Ogurlu & Sariçam, need for social and emotional attention compared with their
2018). Thus, inherent difference (Neihart et al., 2002); poten- peers, with inconclusive findings encouraging the study of
tial for social isolation (Rimm, 2002); tendency to internalize variables that could play a role in the occurrence of cyberbul-
(Robinson & Noble, 1991); overexcitability (Piechowski & lying. Experts argue personal susceptibility variables such as
Cunningham, 1985); asynchrony of development (Silverman, loneliness, academic stress due to others’ expectations, and
2002); and psychological androgyny (Hébert, 2002), among academic stress due to self-expectations are significantly
others, are characteristics that implicitly entail greater vul- positively correlated to Internet addiction (Tan, 2019). Thus,
nerability to intimidation and poorer performance in inte- the study of problems related to abusive Internet usage may
grating tasks that include affective information (Chung et al., contribute to a deeper understanding of individuals’ traits
2011). that may pose a risk toward social and school maladjustment,
Some authors acknowledge that the consequences of as indexed in this case by cyberbullying.
cyberbullying are severe and long-lasting in gifted students
(Connolly, 2018). Common emotions resulting from cyber-
Giftedness and Internet Addiction
bullying behavior are depression, anger, frustration, and a
sense of alienation, with male and female students experi- The use of social networks by young people to communicate
encing similar emotions. However, female informants with their peers, friends, or strangers has become, for some,
reported a more pronounced impact, with several of them addictive behavior. In the literature, it is possible to find dif-
describing a significant emotional and academic negative ferent terms for this phenomenon, such as “Internet addic-
impact, resulting in unusually low grades, absenteeism, and tion” (Young, 1998; Zhang et al., 2018), “pathological
reluctance to participate in class discussions (Connolly, Internet use,” “network behavior dependence” (Zhang et al.,
2018). Ogurlu and Sariçam (2018) showed that gifted males 2018), or “problematic Internet use” (Spada, 2014). In this
had higher levels of peer bullying, but gifted females had article, we will use the term Internet addiction to characterize
higher levels of peer victimization than gifted males. excessive, improper use of the Internet, withdrawal symp-
However, in other studies, the opposing conclusion is toms, and interpersonal social problems through characteris-
reached; that is, these students seem to be less vulnerable to tics such as obsession, aggressiveness, compulsive behaviors,
bullying and are even less likely to get involved in situations or an imperious need to go online (Seki et al., 2019; Young,
of this type (Estell et al., 2009). Cohen et al. (1994) indicated 1998; Zhang et al., 2018).
194 Gifted Child Quarterly 64(3)
In comparison with other addictive behaviors, such as addiction behaviors among gifted and nonidentified teenage
substance use, alcohol, and gambling, Internet addiction can students. Hence, the questions for this study were as
begin at earlier ages (Oztürk et al., 2007). This precocious- follows:
ness is fueled by the widespread use of ICT in all the con-
texts young people are involved in school, family, and 1. Are there significant differences in cyberbullying
leisure. In these cases, the use of the Internet is neither infor- situations (aggressor/victim) and in Internet addic-
mational nor communicative; rather, it can end up entailing tion behavior between gifted students and nonidenti-
an alteration of one’s identity that is visible in games, chats, fied (typically developing) students?
forums, and other “online” modalities (Carbonell et al., 2. Is there an association between cyberbullying situa-
2012). tions (aggressor/victim) and Internet addiction
Studies on Internet addiction show that excessive use behavior? Is the pattern of such association differen-
among young people leads to situations of mood changes, tial for gifted students as compared with the rest of
loneliness (Muñoz-Rivas et al., 2010 ), depression, low self- students?
esteem, conflicts with parents (Karaer & Akdemir, 2019;
Peng et al., 2019; Yen et al., 2009), lower quality social rela-
tionships, and fewer adaptive strategies (Li et al., 2019;
Method
Milani et al., 2009). Fisoun et al. (2012) conducted a study To answer these questions, we designed a matched case-con-
among secondary school students between 14 and 18 years trol study with a group of school children identified by the
of age, which found a correlation between symptoms of education administration as gifted students, and typically
Internet addiction and antisocial behavior. Obsessive, patho- developing (not identified gifted) school children as controls.
logical use of the Internet was related to a greater likelihood
of engaging in cyberbullying behaviors (Floros et al., 2013).
In short, the literature reveals that misuse or dysfunctional
Participants
use of the Internet influences the psychological well-being The population was made up of 163 compulsory secondary
and mental health of young people in both the short and long education gifted students from government-sponsored and
term (Burnay et al., 2015; Colás et al., 2013; Flores, 2009; public centers in Mallorca Island (Spain). All these students
Xu et al., 2012). had been identified by the education administration as gifted
Concerning Internet addiction issues, the results regard- students following a protocol that addressed questions related
ing gifted students are nonexistent, although it is possible to to creativity, social and emotional development, motivation,
analyze studies (Francis et al., 2016) that address the well- academic performance, and intellectual ability, besides con-
being or mental health of gifted students in relation to behav- firming an IQ greater than or equal to 130.
ior that could favor Internet addiction. Shaywitz et al. (2001) To determine the sample of gifted students, results were
indicated that the level of emotional and social problems of a taken into account from previous studies regarding the prev-
gifted group (IQ = 140-154) was similar to that of a group of alence of cyberbullying in samples of school children, which
students with learning disabilities. Nevertheless, Francis found that around 25% are victims of this type of bullying
et al. (2016), on the basis of a review and meta-analysis of 18 (Sureda et al., 2009). In the absence of data concerning
studies from different backgrounds addressing giftedness cyberbullying prevalence as a function of giftedness at the
and social–emotional issues in children aged between 5 and time of the study design, data from studies reporting higher
19 years, concluded that gifted students may have better bullying prevalence among gifted students (e.g., 67% expe-
social–emotional adaptation and fewer behavior difficulties riencing one kind of bullying; Peterson & Ray, 2006) and
within the class group. These results converge with recent data from studies on bullying prevalence among Spanish
findings in neuroscience that consider intelligence as a secondary education students (e.g., 18.2% and 14.4% for
mechanism that favors social–emotional adjustment (Coplan 8th grade males and females, respectively; Garcia et al.,
et al., 2011). In accordance with these studies, in general 2010) were also considered for sample calculation purposes.
terms, being gifted could be a protective factor against the Consequently, according to the prevalence data available for
manifestation of Internet addiction behaviors, although there bullying in gifted and nonidentified students, an odds ratio
might exist a subgroup of gifted students who have intraper- of 3 was considered as an adequate minimum difference to
sonal and interpersonal conflicts if other study variables such be detected. Accepting an alpha risk of .05 and a beta risk
as context, age, and gender are taken into account (Francis <.2 in a bilateral contrast, we decided to work with 61 pairs
et al., 2016; Guignard et al., 2012). of participants. Thus, 61 gifted students were randomly
selected from the initial population of 163 gifted students.
Afterward, 61 Majorcan students were recruited from the
Objectives
whole population of 32,622 secondary education nonidenti-
This review of the literature reveals the importance of delv- fied students as paired controls with several matching vari-
ing further into the study of cyberbullying and Internet ables being considered: being from the same center, forming
Garcia et al. 195
M SD Max. Min. Skewness Kurtosis M SD Max. Min. M SD Max. Min. Statistic and p
Age 14.40 1.12 17 13 0.19 −1.18 14.31 1.09 16 13 14.49 1.15 17 13 U = 1702.5, p = .403
CBQ score
Aggressor 1.74 3.23 27 0 4.96 33.11 1.92 4.11 27 0 1.56 2.04 9 0 U = 1775.0, p = .646
Victim 1.86 2.59 17 0 2.78 10.88 2.00 2.95 17 0 1.72 2.18 11 0 U = 1852.5, p = .966
CERI score
Intrapersonal 11.38 3.37 22 6 0.71 0.23 11.52 3.59 21 6 11.23 3.16 22 6 U = 1810.5, p = .797
Interpersonal 6.34 2.08 14 4 1.27 1.73 6.30 2.12 13 4 6.39 2.05 14 4 U = 1776.0, p = .660
Note. M = mean; SD = standard deviation; CBQ = Cyberbullying Questionnaire; CERI = Internet-Related Experiences Questionnaire.
Garcia et al. 197
Table 2. Summary of Generalized Linear Models With Cyberaggressor CBQ Scores as Dependent Variables; and Gender, Intellectual
Ability Group (Giftedness), Age, Intrapersonal CERI, and Interpersonal CERI as Independent Variables.
Step Fitted model and parameters Likelihood ratio χ2 p B (SE) 95% Wald CI p
Step 1 Model 85.30 .000
Intercept −3.68 (1.88) [−7.36, 0.02] .050
Gender −1.04 (0.25) [−0.60, 0.39] .678
Giftedness −0.21 (0.26) [−0.71, 0.30] .422
Age 0.11 (0.12) [−0.13, 0.34] .377
Intrapersonal CERI 0.05 (0.05) [−0.04, 0.14] .289
Interpersonal CERI 0.28 (0.08) [0.12, 0.45] .001
Step 2 Model 107.26 .000
Intercept −1.63 (1.89) [−5.34, 2.08] .389
Gender −0.22 (0.31) [−0.8, 0.39] .477
Giftedness −3.25 (3.43) [−9.98, 3.48] .344
Age −0.11 (0.11) [−0.32, 0.10] .319
Intrapersonal CERI 0.07 (0.05) [−0.02, 0.16] .125
Interpersonal CERI 0.40 (0.07) [0.26, 0.54] .000
Giftedness * gender −0.12 (0.46) [−0.03, 0.79] .795
Giftedness * age 0.33 (0.19) [−0.05, 0.72] .088
Giftedness * intrapersonal CERI 0.02 (0.08) [−0.15, 0.19] .814
Giftedness * interpersonal CERI −0.28 (0.12) [−0.51, −0.06] .014
Note. B = standardized beta; SE = standard error; CI = confidence interval; CERI = Internet-Related Experiences Questionnaire; CBQ = Cyberbullying
Questionnaire.
Table 3. Summary of Generalized Linear Models With Cybervictim CBQ Scores as Dependent Variables; and Gender, Intellectual
Ability Group (Giftedness), Age, Intrapersonal CERI, and Interpersonal CERI as Independent Variables.
Step Fitted model and parameters Likelihood ratio χ2 p B (SE) 95% Wald CI p
Step 1 Model 30.67 .000
Intercept −1.52 (1.63) [−4.73, 1.68] .351
Gender 0.34 (0.23) [−0.10, 0.79] .133
Giftedness −1.17 (1.63) [−0.61, 0.28] .465
Age 0.03 (0.10) [−0.17, 0.23] .769
Intrapersonal CERI 0.02 (0.05) [−0.07, 0.12] .597
Interpersonal CERI 0.19 (0.08) [0.03, 0.35] .024
Step 2 Model 35.28 .000
Intercept 0.52 (1.96) [−3.32, 4.36] .790
Gender 0.12 (0.39) [−0.64, 0.88] .762
Giftedness −3.91 (3.16) [−10.11, 2.28] .215
Age −0.13 (0.14) [−0.39, 0.13] .329
Intrapersonal CERI 0.01 (0.07) [−0.13, 0.15] .868
Interpersonal CERI 0.29 (0.09) [0.10, 0.47] .003
Giftedness * gender 0.34 (0.49) [−0.63, 1.31] .492
Giftedness * age 0.29 (0.20) [−0.09, 0.69] .137
Giftedness * intrapersonal CERI 0.06 (0.09) [−0.11, 0.24] .454
Giftedness * interpersonal CERI −0.25 (0.13) [−0.50, 0.01] .059
Note. B = standardized beta; SE = standard error; CI = confidence interval; CERI = Internet-Related Experiences Questionnaire; CBQ = Cyberbullying
Questionnaire.
behaviors. Furthermore, a significant interaction effect of 95% Wald confidence interval [CI: 0.26, 0.54], p < .001; but
Intellectual ability by Interpersonal CERI was observed (see not for nonidentified students: Β = 0.12, SE = 0.09, 95%
Figure 1, left). Post hoc models performed separately for Wald CI [−0.06, 0.29], p = .195.
gifted and nonidentified showed a significant main effect of The omnibus likelihood ratio test for cybervictim scores
interpersonal CERI for gifted students: Β = 0.40, SE = 0.07, was also significant. In terms of specific independent
198 Gifted Child Quarterly 64(3)
Figure 1. Graphical representation of the giftedness: Interpersonal CERI interaction for aggressor (Left) and victim (Right) CBQ scores.
Note. CERI = Internet-Related Experiences Questionnaire; CBQ = Cyberbullying Questionnaire.
variables, a significant main effect of interpersonal CERI Mitchell (2011) and Parker and Bain (2011), indicating that
was found. Increases in self-reported interpersonal problems being gifted is not a variable that contributes to increased
related to Internet use were associated with rises in the bullying via the Internet; unlike other studies which indicate
amount of victimization episodes. Furthermore, intellectual that being gifted has been related to both a higher (Peterson
ability group by interpersonal CERI interaction tended & Ray, 2006) and lower (Estell et al., 2009) incidence of
toward significance (see Figure 1, right). Paralleling analytic bullying.
strategy followed for cyberaggressor scores, and post hoc Secondarily, our data reveal that despite not finding dif-
models performed separately for gifted and nonidentified ferences between groups with respect to the presence of
yielded a significant main effect of interpersonal CERI for cyberbullying and Internet addiction, potential cyberbullying
gifted students: Β = 0.29, SE = 0.09, 95% Wald CI [0.09, behaviors could be explained by different factors when refer-
0.47], p < .005; but not for nonidentified students: Β = 0.04, ring to gifted or typically developing teenagers. From a
SE = 0.09, 95% Wald CI [−0.14, 0.21], p = .664. global point of view, our results suggest that cyberbullying is
No significant main effect or other interactions involving associated with other problems related to Internet behavior
intellectual ability were found. Neither intrapersonal CERI, such as those derived from Internet addiction. Pathological
gender, nor age reached specific significance in explaining use of the Internet has been previously linked to both intrap-
cyberaggressor or cybervictim scores. ersonal and interpersonal psychological factors (Chang et al.,
2015, Jung et al., 2014; Milani et al., 2009). Regarding intra-
personal factors, Internet addiction has been associated,
Discussion among others, to self-reported psychological distress
This study suggests, in accordance with various authors (Beranuy, Oberst, et al., 2009). Internet addiction has also
(Fisoun et al., 2012; Ko et al., 2009; Ma et al., 2011), that been linked to interpersonal shortcomings such as scarcity of
dysfunctional exposure to the Internet could contribute to relationships and social dysfunction (Beranuy, Chamarro,
cyberbullying situations as aggressor or victim. This result et al., 2009; De Gracia et al., 2002; Huang et al., 2007). A
warns of the need to be aware of two problems, cyberbully- more detailed interpretation of our results points to such
ing and Internet addiction, which may converge to bring social dysfunction as the principal explanatory factor of
about negative consequences in the short and long term cyberbullying. The pattern of associations found in the pres-
among gifted and nonidentified adolescents. ent study (i.e., associations between interpersonal factors
Importantly, similar results for gifted and nonidentified related to Internet addiction and cyberbullying) emphasize
students in both self-perception of cyberbullying and Internet the role of the social dimension in the engagement in cyber-
addiction would confirm that being gifted would not be a risk bullying, especially among gifted students. Furthermore,
or prevention factor in terms of becoming involved in such although results involving cybervictim could also be consid-
situations. This result would reinforce the approach of ered, our results suggest that such Internet-related social
Garcia et al. 199
dysfunction would be more robustly associated to online associations for gifted students found in this study suggest
aggressive behaviors. Again, this association seemed to be that programs targeting them should provide support not
capitalized by gifted students. only for strictly curricular educational needs but also for
This study brings the need to consider interpersonal fac- social–emotional skills (González-Cabrera et al., 2019;
tors in Internet addiction as a vulnerability factor for situa- MacFarlane & Mina, 2018). Interventions in social and
tions of cyberbullying to the fore in some gifted students. We emotional competencies make it possible to work on social
speculate that a shortcoming in interpersonal factors could skills, reflective thinking, coping strategies when faced with
contribute to a negative self-perception in their social rela- conflictive situations, awareness, and emotional self-control
tionships, a feeling of rejection or exclusion, and no social from a variety of techniques and programs which would be
benefit to being intelligent, even if the objective data do not beneficial for indirectly preventing cyberbullying in gifted
describe this reality (Lee et al., 2012). It could also be specu- (Rinn, 2018) and nonidentified students. Furthermore,
lated that gifted students’ asynchronous development, and teachers and counselors working with gifted children should
characteristics such as greater sensitivity toward social situa- also consider more direct actions such as ensuring that they
tions, together with more demanding behavior, makes some are adequately integrated and they discuss, in the class
gifted adolescents more vulnerable and less competent in group, forms of bullying, examples of bullies, and steps that
their online relationships and/or more prone to show passive an adolescent can take to reduce perceived threats and effec-
aggressive behaviors with greater implications and frequency tively deal with bullying behaviors (MacFarlane & Mina,
than nonidentified students (Espelage & King, 2018; Peairs 2018).
et al., 2019). A straightforward explanation for the distinct This study has some limitations that are worth acknowl-
pattern of associations found for gifted and nonidentified edging. First, the relatively small sample size suggests a
students regarding the role of interpersonal factors explain- cautious interpretation of the results reported here as pre-
ing cyberbullying would require new, more specific studies liminary, thus encouraging large-scale studies to corrobo-
devoted to exploring differences in social strategic behaviors rate the present findings. Second, the cultural and social
used by gifted and nonidentified students. In this vein, cer- contextualization of the sample was limited. Some factors
tain research has reported deficient social strategies for some such as students’ cultural background, romantic relation-
mathematically gifted adolescents (Yun et al., 2011) or no ships, and popularity were not controlled. Moreover, it
superiority of empathy response (as to understanding how would be advisable to include context variables related to
my friends feel) among gifted students, in comparison with the family dimension, parental supervision, school pro-
other social skills with a better response (De França-Freitas grams and methodologies, relationship with teaching staff,
et al., 2015). and socioeconomic and cultural status of parents, which
Our findings regarding more robust associations involv- indisputably also represent risk or protective factors in
ing cyberaggression could be explained by the age of the par- terms of the issues studied (Heo et al., 2014). Third, the
ticipants. Although gifted students might be well-regarded findings of the study were restricted to data collected from
by their peers (sometimes being even more popular), this self-reported questionnaires mainly based on students’ per-
popularity disappears around the age of 13 years and the ceptions. Hence, multiple assessments and data inclusion
forced choice dilemma between excellence and peer approval from other parties, such as teachers, parents, and peers, is
becomes ever greater (Peairs et al., 2011; Rimm, 2002). In recommended to strengthen future studies. Finally, it would
adolescence, the social cost to being accepted may lead to be relevant for future research to explore patterns of Internet
personal vulnerability and to engagement in pathological, usage among gifted students by means of questions regard-
violent behaviors on the Internet, by leaning toward group ing age at onset of Internet usage, average hours of Internet
expectations, and developing alternative identities that fit usage daily after school, average hours of Internet usage
better with the peer culture (Lee et al., 2012). during holidays, the main purpose for Internet usage, and a
This study has potential educational implications as it favorite place for Internet usage.
equalizes the need for programs and strategies for prevent-
ing Internet addiction and cyberbullying among gifted
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
(Cross, 2011) and nonidentified students while suggesting
some peculiarities related to giftedness that could help The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect
to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
detection and guide intervention in this population. Overall,
our research suggests that the prevention and treatment of
Funding
Internet addiction could contribute to reduce the occurrence
of cyberbullying. In this vein, interventions focusing on The author(s) received no financial support for the research, author-
improving parental skills, enhancing the quality of parent– ship, and/or publication of this article.
adolescent relationships, and providing more information
and training on making appropriate use of the Internet could ORCID iD
be considered (Karaer & Akdemir, 2019). Specific Inmaculada Sureda Garcia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5024-1799
200 Gifted Child Quarterly 64(3)
systematic literature review. Exceptional Children, 82(3), 279- Lee, S. Y., Olszewski, P., & Turner, D. (2012). Academically gifted
302. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402915598779 students’ perceived interpersonal competence and peer rela-
Garcia, X., Pérez, A., & Nebot, M. (2010). Factores relacio- tionships. Gifted Child Quarterly, 56(2), 90-104. https://doi.
nados con el acoso escolar (bullying) en los adolescentes org/10.1177/0016986212442568
de Barcelona [Factors related to bullying in adolescents in Li, X., Luo, X., Zheng, R., Jin, X., Mei, L., Xie, X., Gu, H., Hou, F., Liu,
Barcelona (Spain)]. Gaceta Sanitaria, 24(2), 103-108. https:// L., Luo, X., Meng, H., Zhang, J., & Song, R. (2019). The role of
doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2009.09.017 depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and school functioning
González-Cabrera, J., Tourón, J., Machimbarrena, J. M., Gutiérrez- in the association between peer victimization and Internet addic-
Ortega, M., Álvarez-Bardón, A., & Garaigordobil, M. (2019). tion: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Affective Disorders,
Cyberbullying in gifted students: Prevalence and psychologi- 256(1), 125-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.05.080
cal well-being in a Spanish sample. International Journal of Livingstone, S. (2013). Online risk, harm and vulnerability:
Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(12), Article Reflections on the evidence base for child Internet safety pol-
2173. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16122173 icy. ZER: Journal of Communication Studies, 18(35), 13-28.
Guan, S. S. A., & Subrahmanyam, K. (2009). Youth Internet use: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/62278/
Risks and opportunities. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 22(4), Livingstone, S., Davidson, J., Bryce, J., Batool, S., Haughton, C.,
351-356. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0b013e32832bd7e0 & Nandi, A. (2017). Children’s online activities, risks and
Guignard, J. H., Jacquet, A.-Y., & Lubart, T. (2012). Perfectionism safety: A literature review by the UKCCIS Evidence Group.
and anxiety: A paradox in intellectual giftedness? PLOS ONE, London School of Economics and Political Science. https://
7(7), e41043. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0041043 assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/
Hampton, K. N., & Wellman, B. (2003). Neighboring in Netville: uploads/attachment_data/file/650933/Literature_Review_
How the Internet supports community and social capital in a Final_October_2017.pdf
wired suburb. City & Community, 2(4), 277-311. https://doi. Ma, H. K., Li, S. C., & Pow, J. W. C. (2011). The relation of Internet
org/10.1046/j.1535-6841.2003.00057.x use to prosocial and antisocial behavior in Chinese adolescents.
Hébert, T. P. (2002). Gifted males. In M. Neihart, S. M. Reis, N. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 14(3),
M. Robinson, & S. M. Moon (Eds.), The social and emotional 123-130. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2009.0347
development of gifted children: What do we know? (pp. 137- MacFarlane, B., & Mina, K. (2018). Cyberbullying and the
144). Prufrock Press. gifted: Considerations for social and emotional develop-
Heo, J., Oh, J., Subramanian, S., Kim, Y., & Kawachi, I. (2014). ment. Gifted Child Today, 41(3), 130-135. https://doi.
Addictive Internet use among Korean adolescents: A national org/10.1177/1076217518768362
survey. PLOS ONE, 9(2), Article e87819. https://doi. Milani, L., Osualdella, D., & Di Blasio, P. (2009). Quality of inter-
org/10.1371/journal.pone.0087819 personal relationships and problematic Internet use in adoles-
Huang, Z., Wang, M. O., Qian, M., Zhong, J., & Tao, R. (2007). cence. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12(6), 681-684. https://
Chinese Internet Addiction Inventory: Developing a mea- doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2009.0071
sure of problematic Internet use for Chinese college students. Mitchell, M. S. (2011). Cyberbullying and academic achievement:
CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(6), 805-811. https://doi. Research into the rates of incidence, knowledge of conse-
org/10.1089/cpb.2007.9950 quences, and behavioral patterns of cyberbullying [Doctoral
Huber, P. J. (1967). The behavior of maximum likelihood esti- dissertation]. http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/dissertations/
mates under nonstandard conditions. In Proceedings of the AAI3475527
Fifth Berkeley Symposium on Mathematical Statistics and Muñoz-Rivas, M. J., Fernández, L., & Gámez-Guadix, M. (2010).
Probability (Vol. 1, pp. 221-233). University of California Analysis of the indicators of pathological Internet use in
Press. Spanish university students. Spanish Journal of Psychology,
Jung, Y. E., Leventhal, B., Kim, Y. S., Park, T. W., Lee, S. H., 13(2), 697-707. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1138741600002365
Lee, M., Park, S. H., Yang, J. C., Chung, Y. C., Chung, S. K., Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M. D., Haynie, D. L., Ruan, W. J., &
& Park, J. I. (2014). Cyberbullying, problematic Internet use, Scheidt, P. C. (2003). Relationships between bullying and vio-
and psychopathologic symptoms among Korean youth. Yonsei lence among US youth. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine Journal, 55(3), 826-830. https://doi.org/10.3349/ Medicine, 157(4), 348-353. https://doi.org/10.1001/arch-
ymj.2014.55.3.826 pedi.157.4.348
Kang, S. (2007). Disembodiment in online social interaction: Neihart, M., Reis, S. M., Robinson, N., & Moon, S. (2002). The
Impact of online chat on social support and psychosocial well- social and emotional development of gifted children: What do
being. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 10(3), 475-477. https:// we know? Prufrock Press.
doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2006.9929 Ogurlu, U., & Sariçam, H. (2018). Bullying, forgiveness and sub-
Karaer, Y., & Akdemir, D. (2019). Parenting styles, perceived missive behaviors in gifted students. Journal of Child and
social support and emotion regulation in adolescents with Family Studies, 27(9), 2833-2843. https://doi.org/10.1007/
Internet addiction. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 92(3), 22-27. s10826-018-1138-9
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2019.03.003 Oztürk, O., Odabasıoglu, G., Eraslan, D., Genc, Y., & Kalyoncu,
Ko, C. H., Yen, J. Y., Liu, S. C., Huang, C. F., & Yen, C. F. (2009). O. A. (2007). Internet addiction: Clinical aspects and treatment
The associations between aggressive behaviors and Internet strategies. Journal of Dependence, 8(1), 36-41.
addiction and online activities in adolescents. Journal of Park, Y. J. (2015). My whole world’s in my palm! The second-level
Adolescent Health, 44(6), 598-605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. divide of teenagers’ mobile use and skill. New Media & Society,
jadohealth.2008.11.011 17(6), 977-995. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444813520302
202 Gifted Child Quarterly 64(3)
Parker, M., & Bain, S. K. (2011). Bullying and victimization boys with learning disabilities. Gifted Child Quarterly, 45(1),
rates among gifted and high-achieving students. Journal 16-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/001698620104500103
for the Education of the Gifted, 34(4), 624-643. https://doi. Silverman, L. K. (2002). Asynchronous development. In M. Neihart,
org/10.1177/016235321103400405 S. M. Reis, N. M. Robinson, & S. M. Moon (Eds.), The social
Peairs, K., Eichen, D., Putallz, M., Costanzo, P., & Grimes, C. L. and emotional development of gifted children: What do we
(2011). Academic giftedness and alcohol use in early ado- know? (pp. 31-37). Prufrock Press.
lescent. Gifted Child Quarterly, 55(2), 95-110. https://doi. Spada, M. M. (2014). An overview of problematic Internet use.
org/10.1177/0016986210392220 Addictive Behaviors, 39(1), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh
Peairs, K., Putallaz, M., & Costanzo, P. R. (2019). From A .2013.09.007
(Aggression) to V (Victimization): Peer status and adjust- Sternberg, R. J., & Davidson, J. (2005). Conceptions of giftedness
ment among academically gifted students in early adoles- (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
cence. Gifted Child Quarterly, 63(3), 185-200. https://doi. Sternberg, R. J., Jarvin, L., & Grigorenko, E. L. (2011). Explorations
org/10.1177/0016986219838973 in giftedness. Cambridge University Press.
Peng, W., Li, D., Li, D., Jia, J., Wang, Y., & Sun, W. (2019). School Sureda, J., Rigo, E., Comas, R., Servera, A. M., Morey, M., Mut,
disconnectedness and adolescent Internet addiction: Mediation B., & Gili, M. (2009). El ciberassetjament entre els joves:
by self-esteem and moderation by emotional intelligence. Característiques i impacte del cyberbullying entre l’alumnat
Computers in Human Behavior, 98(September), 111-121. d’ESO de les Illes Balears [Cyberbullying among young peo-
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.04.011 ple: Characteristics and impact of cyberbullying among ESO
Peterson, J. S., & Ray, K. E. (2006). Bullying and the gifted: Victims, students in the Balearic Islands]. IBIT.
perpetrators, prevalence, and effects. Gifted Child Quarterly, Tan, K. A. (2019). The effects of personal susceptibility and social
50(2), 148-168. https://doi.org/10.1177/001698620605000206 support on Internet addiction: An application of Adler’s the-
Pfeiffer, S. I. (2003). Challenges and opportunities for students who ory of individual psychology. International Journal of Mental
are gifted: What the experts say. Gifted Child Quarterly, 47(2), Health and Addiction, 17(4), 806-816. https://doi.org/10.1007/
161-169. https://doi.org/10.1177/001698620304700207 s11469-018-9871-2
Piechowski, M. M., & Cunningham, K. (1985). Patterns of over- Thompson, P. (2013). The digital natives as learners: Technology use
excitability in a group of artists. Journal of Creative Behavior, patterns and approaches to learning. Computers & Education,
19(3), 153-174. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2162-6057.1985. 65(1), 12-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.12.022
tb00655.x Tokunaga, R. S. (2010). Following you home from school: A criti-
Rimm, S. (2002). Peer pressures and social acceptance of gifted cal review and synthesis of research on cyberbullying victim-
students. In M. Neihart, S. M. Reis, N. M. Robinson, & S. M. ization. Computer in Human Behavior, 26(3), 277-287. https://
Moon (Eds.), The social and emotional development of gifted doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2009.11.014
children: What do we know? (pp. 13-18). Prufrock Press. White, H. (1980). A heteroskedasticity-consistent covariance matrix
Rinn, A. (2018). Social and emotional considerations for gifted estimator and a direct test for heteroskedasticity. Econometrica,
students. In S. I. Pfeiffer, E. Shaunessy-Dedrick, & M. Foley- 48(4), 817-830. https://doi.org/10.2307/1912934
Nicpon (Eds.), APA handbook of giftedness and talent (pp. Winner, E., & Martino, G. (2000). Giftedness in non-academic
453-464). American Psychological Association. https://doi. domains: The case of visual arts and music. In K. A. Heller, F.
org/10.1037/0000038-029 J. Monks, R. J. Sternberg, & R. F. Subotnik (Eds.), International
Robinson, N. M. (2008). The value of traditional assessments as handbook of giftedness and talent (pp. 95-110). Pergamon Press.
approaches to identifying academically gifted students. In J. Xu, J., Shen, L. X., Yan, C. H., Hu, H., Yang, F., Wang, L., Kotha,
L. VanTassel-Baska (Ed.), Alternative assessments with gifted S. R., Zhang, L. N., Liao, X. P., Zhang, J., Ouyang, F. X.,
and talented students (pp. 157-174). Prufrock Press. Zhang, J. S., & Shen, X. M. (2012). Personal characteristics
Robinson, N. M., & Noble, K. D. (1991). Social-emotional devel- related to the risk of adolescent Internet addiction: A survey in
opment and adjustment at gifted children. In M. C. Wang, M. Shanghai, China. BMC Public Health, 12, Article 1106. https://
C. Reynolds, & H. J. Walberg (Eds.), Handbook of special edu- doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-1106
cation: Research and practice (pp. 57-76). Pergamon Press. Ybarra, M., & Mitchell, K. J. (2007). Prevalence and frequency of
Rothenbusch, S., Zettler, I., Voss, T., Losch, T., & Trautwein, U. Internet harassment instigation: Implications for adolescent
(2016). Exploring reference group effects on teachers’ nomina- health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(2), 189-195. https://
tions of gifted students. Journal of Educational Psychology, doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.03.005
108(6), 883-897. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000085 Yen, C.-F., Ko, C.-H., Yen, J. Y., Chang, Y. P., & Cheng, C. P.
Schuler, P. A. (2002, September 15). Teasing and gifted children. (2009). Multi-dimensional discriminative factors for Internet
The SENG newsletter. https://www.sengifted.org/post/teasing- addiction among adolescents regarding gender and age.
and-gifted-children Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 63(3), 357-364. https://
Seki, T., Hamazaki, K., Natori, T., & Inadera, H. (2019). doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1819.2009.01969.x
Relationship between Internet addiction and depression among Young, K. S. (1998). Internet addiction: The emergence of a new
Japanese university students. Journal of Affective Disorders, clinical disorder. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1(3), 237-244.
256(September), 668-672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019 https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.237
.06.055 Yun, K., Chung, D., Jang, B., Kim, J. H., & Jeong, J. (2011).
Shaywitz, S. E., Holahan, J. M., Freudenheim, D. A., Fletcher, J. Mathematically gifted adolescents have deficiencies in social
M., Makuch, R. W., & Shaywitz, B. A. (2001). Heterogeneity valuation and mentalization. PLOS ONE, 6(4), Article e18224.
within the gifted: Higher IQ boys exhibit behaviors resembling https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0018224
Garcia et al. 203
Zhai, B., Li, D., Jia, J., Liu, Y., Sun, W., & Wang, Y. (2019). Peer of emotion, attention, and motivation and their pathological mani-
victimization and problematic Internet use in adolescents: The festations such as psychopathy, anxiety, and addictive disorders. He
mediating role of deviant peer affiliation and the moderating is also interested in studying the role of affective mechanisms in
role of family functioning. Addictive Behaviors, 96(September), language development and bilingualism.
43-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.04.016
Rosabel Rodríguez Rodríguez is PhD in psychopedagogy at the
Zhang, Y., Qin, X., & Ren, P. (2018). Adolescents’ academic engage-
University of the Balearic Islands. University lecturer in the area of
ment mediates the association between Internet addiction and
psychology and education, Department of Applied Education and
academic achievement: The moderating effect of classroom
Educational Psychology. She has worked in the field of high-intel-
achievement norm. Computers in Human Behavior, 89(December),
lectual abilities (gifted and talented), the training of university
299-307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.08.018
teachers, coexistence, and school discipline. Her research focuses
on the field of high-intellectual abilities, giftedness, and talent, par-
Author Biographies ticularly about teacher education and training process, and the issue
Inmaculada Sureda Garcia holds a PhD in psychopedagogy at the of school life.
University of the Balearic Islands. University lecturer in the area of
psychology and education, Department of Applied Education and Jaume Sureda Negre holds a PhD in pedagogy at the University of
Educational Psychology. She has held various academic manage- the Balearic Islands. He has held various academic management
ment positions (Secretary of the Psychology Faculty, vice-dean of positions (Director of the Institute of Educational Sciences, Vice-
Faculty of Education). She is a member of the Research Group I + Chancellor, and currently is subdirector of the Department of
DEL: Research, Development, Education, and Language of the Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology). The areas of lec-
University of the Balearic Islands. The areas of lecturing and turing and research expertise that have worked in recent years are
research expertise that have worked in recent years are social and information literacy, academic integrity, and environmental educa-
emotional competencies, peer rejection, and bullying. tion, topics on which he has published numerous works. Currently,
he is involved in two projects, one on dropout in vocational educa-
Raül López Penádes is an associate professor at the Department of tion and the other on preservice teachers training analysis.
Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology of the University of
the Balearic Islands. His research interests have generally focused Manuscript received: July 08, 2019; Final revision received: March
on human psychophysiological research of fundamental processes 19, 2020; Accepted: March 25, 2020