Early Detection of Drug Use and Bullying in Secondary School Children by Using a Three-Dimensional Simulation Program

Abstract

The current study analyzes the psychometric properties of an innovative three-dimensional (3D) simulation program, entitled Mii-School (MS), designed for the early detection of drug use and bullying in Secondary School children. This computer program showed adequate reliability and construct validity. The factorial structure, as well as the explanatory weight of the different factors, is presented. In addition, the results of a parallel version in paper and pencil format are also presented and compared with those of the computerized version (i.e., MS). There was a statistically significant difference between the two formats in the total (i.e., combined) sore of risk. When drug use and bullying were separately analyzed, differences were found only with regard to drug use. The relevance of these results as well as the suitability of this type of 3D instrument for the early detection of risky behaviors in young people are discussed.

An Analysis of More Than 1,400 Articles, 900 Scales, and 17 Years of Research: The State of Scales in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking

“…Authors have continuously demonstrated interest in certain concepts measured through self-report, such as Internet addiction [31][32][33] and computer-related perceptions. [34][35][36] Likewise, many variables recently growing in popularity are also measured through self-report, particularly those related to social networking, [37][38][39] smartphones, [40][41][42] online gaming, [43][44][45] cyberbullying, [46][47][48] and blogging. 49,50 Studies regularly infer several aspects of these topics, such as motives [51][52][53] and intentions, [54][55][56] through this measurement method.…”