Cyberbullying coping is multidimensional in adolescents and young adults

What the study found: The study found that coping with cyberbullying is a multidimensional process involving cognitive, emotional, interpersonal, and digital dimensions. The authors also report that the Cyberbullying Coping Scale has psychometric support for use with adolescents and young adults.

Why the authors say this matters: The findings indicate that the scale provides a supported tool for assessing coping strategies in adolescents and young adults. The authors also suggest that the links between coping responses and well-being in digital contexts are complex.

What the researchers tested: The researchers developed and validated a multidimensional Cyberbullying Coping Scale. They used a two-stage design with independent samples, including exploratory factor analysis (a method for finding underlying patterns) and confirmatory factor analysis (a method for testing whether a proposed structure fits the data), plus internal consistency testing and Pearson correlation analyses with flourishing and digital well-being.

What worked and what didn't: A six-factor model fit the data acceptably to well, and the factors were seeking social support, reactive/risky behaviours, preventive digital awareness, social and moral engagement, cognitive reappraisal, and emotional regulation. The overall scale showed high internal consistency, while subscale reliability ranged from moderate to high. Adaptive coping strategies were positively associated with flourishing and digital well-being; reactive/risky coping was negatively associated with digital well-being but positively associated with flourishing, which the authors say should be interpreted cautiously.

What to keep in mind: The abstract does not describe limitations beyond the authors' caution about interpreting the positive link between reactive/risky coping and flourishing. The results are based on adolescents and young adults in the samples studied, so the abstract does not state broader generalizability.

Key points

• The study developed and validated a Cyberbullying Coping Scale for adolescents and young adults.
• EFA and CFA supported a six-factor structure: seeking social support, reactive/risky behaviours, preventive digital awareness, social and moral engagement, cognitive reappraisal, and emotional regulation.
• The overall scale showed high internal consistency, and subscale reliability ranged from moderate to high.
• Adaptive coping strategies were positively associated with flourishing and digital well-being.
• Reactive/risky coping was negatively associated with digital well-being but positively associated with flourishing, which the authors say should be interpreted cautiously.