Cyberbullying victimisation among adolescents in China: Coping strategies and the role of self‐compassion

Abstract

Coping strategies have the ability to reduce immediate and long-term stress from cyberbullying experiences. This study compares the perceptions of cyberbullying victims and non-victims in relation to the coping strategies for different types of cyberbullying victimisation. A group of 1,339 Chinese adolescents from vocational schools in Jiangxi province participated in the study. Effects of demographic factors, cyberbullying victimisation and self-compassion on coping strategies were computed with logistic regression analysis. Results showed that cyberbullying victims indicated a stronger preference towards doing nothing, or to rely on themselves, instead of seeking help. Both victims and non-victims indicated 'Asking a parent/family for help' as the first choice across all victimisation types. The effects of self-compassion on coping with cyberbullying were found to be significant. This study provides evidence that can be used to enhance policy and practice for effectively enabling parents and professionals' involvement in cyberbullying intervention. Cyberbullying prevention programs should therefore arm parents with the knowledge to provide support to, and strengthen self-compassion of children, to modulate positive coping emotions and cyber behaviour.

Effective coping with cyberbullying in boys and girls: the mediating role of self-awareness, responsible decision-making, and social support

“…Although some cyberbullying episodes involve classmates, cybervictimised adolescents prefer to seek help from their parents or peers (Heiman et al, 2019;Paul et al, 2012) rather than teachers (Zhou et al, 2013). However, some cybervictims encounter obstacles in employing effective coping strategies (Crick & Dodge, 1994) and tend to be avoidant (Chen & Zhu, 2021;Navarro et al, 2016). There are several reasons for this, for example, a preference for doing nothing due to fear of parental restrictions on digital device privileges, overconfidence in their own ability to cope (Chen & Zhu, 2021;Jacobs et al, 2015), failure to recognise some forms of cyberaggressions (Jacobs et al, 2015), and even a refusal to accept the negative feelings that result from involvement in these incidents, which may be perceived as unsolvable (Völlink et al, 2013).…”

“…Coping with cyberbullying can be difficult for adolescents, especially in terms of employing the most appropriate strategy to overcome this problem (Chen & Zhu, 2021;Machackova et al, 2013). Coping strategies involve behavioural, emotional, and cognitive responses (Heiman et al, 2019;Hu et al, 2018;Lazarus & Folkman, 1984).…”

Integrating the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide Into the Relations Between Cyber-Victimization and Suicidality Among Adolescents: A Short-Term Prospective Study

“…However, this study did not specify whether the participants were from urban or rural areas. Further, cyber-victimization of young people in rural China is common (e.g., Chen & Zhu, 2021 ). Therefore, additional studies, particularly longitudinal studies using adolescent samples from rural areas, will be required to rigorously examine the association between cyber-victimization and suicidality, as well as the mechanisms underlying this relation.…”

Demographic Perspectives of Self-Compassion: Exploring Self-Compassion among Urban Malaysian Adolescents

“…The implication of this study suggests that more in-depth studies should be conducted to explore the nature of self-compassion and other important psychological aspects that are related to psychological well-being. This includes the development of anxiety and depression (Egan, 2021), empathy and prosocial behavior (Marshall et al, 2020), gratitude and prosocial behavior (Yang et al, 2021) and coping strategies (Chen & Zhu, 2022). Another practical implication is that it provides important psychological input to the helping professions such as counselors, therapists and social workers who work with adolescents.…”