Virtual harassment: media characteristics' role in psychological health

Abstract

PurposeUsing the stressor‐strain model and media richness theory, this study seeks to investigate the relationship between receiving a harassing message via computer‐mediated communication and psychological health.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 492 individuals completed an online questionnaire. Three media characteristics are examined as potential moderators: media richness, anonymity of the harasser, and location where the victim received the harassing message.FindingsThe results suggest that virtual harassment is associated with diminished psychological health (both directly and mediated by fear of future harassment), and each media characteristic plays a role in understanding the level of fear of future harassment. Anonymity and location moderate the mediator's (fear) role in the stressor‐strain model.Research limitations/implicationsThis research addresses the need for explicit testing of the differentiating factors of various forms of workplace aggression as moderators. Specifically, media characteristics are relevant in the psychological experience of virtual harassment.Practical implicationsVirtual harassment appears to occur more frequently than face‐to‐face harassment, and often the two forms co‐occur. Implications for EAP counselors, computer usage and harassment policies are discussed.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine how media richness, anonymity and location of harassing message impacts the individual outcomes of workplace non‐sexual virtual harassment. The results indicate that, while related to face‐to‐face harassment, virtual harassment appears to have more nuanced considerations for both practitioners and researchers.

Design, development and validation of a workplace cyberbullying measure, the WCM

“…Coyne et al (2016) suggest that the boundaryless nature of cyberbullying may lead to a more severe impact because cyberbullying acts can quickly be distributed to everyone within an organisation. Furthermore, Ford (2013) found that perpetrator anonymity amplified the association between virtual harassment and fear of future harassment. The value of the WCM lies in its ability to investigate whether these unique features moderate the relationship between cyberbullying and outcomes.…”

“…Traditionally, workplace bullying has occurred "at work" but perpetrators and targets do not need to be physically co-located for cyberbullying to occur. This allows perpetrators to send communications whenever they please and it can facilitate anonymity which is the extent that a perpetrator's identity is concealed (Ford, 2013). Anonymous cyberbullying can occur within the working context as employees can create fake email accounts or use pseudonyms to disguise their identity (D'Cruz & Noronha, 2013).…”

“…Indeed, the WCM may be combined with other measures to investigate how specific features of cyberbullying affect employees. For instance, Ford (2013) investigated the unique aspects of virtual harassment by using a general cyberaggression measure combined with separate measures that assessed anonymity, location and media richness.…”

“…Some authors argue that cyberbullying may have more severe outcomes than traditional bullying (Coyne et al, 2016;Dooley, Pyzalski, & Cross, 2009) because certain features of cyberbullying (e.g. physical separation of perpetrator and target, perpetrator anonymity) increase fear and uncertainty (Ford, 2013). These features have led human resources professionals to recognise cyberbullying as a workplace stressor, although they are grappling with the complexities of cases that occur outside of working hours (West et al, 2014).…”

Bystander Responses to Bullying at Work: The Role of Mode, Type and Relationship to Target

“…Similarly, cyberbullying has been shown to negatively affect victims; including anxiety, job dissatisfaction, intention to leave and general well-being (Baruch 2005;Coyne et al 2017;Ford 2013).…”