“i h8 u”: The Influence of Normative Beliefs and Hostile Response Selection in Predicting Adolescents' Mobile Phone Aggression—A Pilot Study

Abstract

Mobile phone aggression (MPA) is a relatively new phenomenon. Using newly developed measures, a pilot study was conducted with 348 adolescents ages 13–17 years to determine the incidence of MPA and victimization in this group of adolescents and to test a proposed model in which hostile response selection mediated the relationship between normative beliefs and MPA. Girls reported more incidences of both MPA and victimization; however, the overall frequencies of these were both relatively low. Path analysis revealed partial support for the hypothesized model, with mobile phone hostile response selection partially mediating the relation between retaliatory normative beliefs about MPA and MPA. Results are considered in relation to future directions for research and implications for intervention.

KEYWORDS:

• mobile phone aggression
• cyber-bullying
• social information processing
• hostile response selection