Faculty of Education
Jun 4th, 2018

Date: Wednesday, June 6, 2018, 12:00 - 1:30, ED3034A, G.A. Hickman Bldg.

Title: To tell or not to tell: The psychological implications of talkling about bullying and cyberbullying

Abstract: Bullying and cyberbulliying are significant concerns for our young people. While there is well-established research on the implications of offline bullying on mental health, the online risks are still emerging. Concerns about sexting (sharing of sexual images) and sextortion (buying or selling of sexual images) are filtering more and more into the lives of our young people. Yet, discussions around such sensitive topics are often difficult to have with adults. Research has demonstrated that the negative effects of bullying can be buffered by the simple act of telling someone about the experience. At the same time, being a bystander to victimization can lead to negative psychological implications. As such, investigations of both telling and being a bystander is essential information when considering the psychological health of adolescents. This presentation will focus on research conducted in Ireland on the implications of discussing bullying and National Anty-Bullying Research Centre on sexting and sextortion in Irish adolescents.

Biography

Dr. Mairead Foody is the Principal Investigator of a large-scale national study on cyberbullying and sexting in young people in Ireland, which is funded by the Irish Research Council. She is a Research Fellow with Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre (ABC), Dublin City University. She has a PhD in Psychology and several years of international applies and research experience with young people. Dr. Foody has published widely in the area of child and adolescent mental health and is particularly interested in the impact of cyberbullying, online behaviours and social media on psychological development. She holds several prestigous awards for her research such as Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship, the James Flaherty Scholarship and the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie COFUND Research of Fellowship.

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