Abstract

Cyber bullying is associated with many negative outcomes for both the bully and the victim (Fahy et al., 2016; Kowalski et al., 2014; Merrell et al., 2008; Quintana-Orts & Rey, 2018). There has been a large research focus on the causes (Barlett & Gentile, 2012; Mehari & Farrell, 2018) and consequences (Fahy et al., 2016) of cyber aggression, but there has not been as much focus on the evaluation of prevention and intervention strategies (Gaffney et al., 2018). While cyber bullying is primarily targeted in adolescence, Tynes, Rose, and Markoe (2013) showed that online aggression occurs amongst university students as well, resulting in a decreased sense of belonging to the campus community. One intervention that shows promise for the reduction of cyber bullying behavior is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which uses several techniques, including mindfulness and values techniques, to increase psychological flexibility (Christie, Atkins, & Donald, 2017; Villatte et al., 2016; Zarling, Lawrence, and Marchman, 2015). The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief mindfulness and values training for reducing the frequency of cyber bullying behavior in college students. Focusing primarily on the mindfulness and values components of the ACT package to determine whether they will be enough to effectively reduce cyber bullying behavior through increased awareness, compassion, and goal-directed behavior. A preliminary analysis of the data showed a decrease in cyber bullying behaviors from pre-test to post-test which continued into the follow-up. No changes in mindfulness were observed.

Advisor

Angelica Aguirre

Committee Member

Kristie Campana

Committee Member

Dan Houlihan

Date of Degree

2020

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

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Rights Statement

In Copyright