Coping with cyberbullying: which strategy works?

Abstract

Coping strategies have differential impacts on health. In general, the literature shows that problem related or active coping strategies, which are used to solve the problem, are positively related to health, whereas emotion related or passive coping strategies, which are used to decrease the stress as a result of a problem, are detrimental to health. The use of coping strategies and their effectiveness depends on personal dispositions, outcome-expectancies and contextual features. In this presentation these aspects are discussed in relation with (cyber) bullying. The presentation will try to explain why victims of (cyber) bullying mostly use emotion related or passive coping strategies, why these strategies are more effective for health than problem related coping strategies, and why some coping strategies are effective for traditional bullying but not for cyberbullying. It is concluded that more research is needed but that yet it is possible is to advice victims of cyberbullying.