Cybervictims' emotional responses, attributions, and coping strategies for cyber victimization: a qualitative approach

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to understand cybervictims' attributions, emotional responses, and coping strategies for cyberbullying incidents that they actually experienced. Design/methodology/approach - There were 76 cybervictims (51 percent girls) between the ages of 12 and 14 included in this study. Adolescents participated in one-on-one interviews to provide comprehensive information about their attributions, emotional responses, and coping strategies for their actual experiences of cyberbullying. Findings - Findings from the study revealed that cybervictims felt insecure and paranoid after experiencing cyber victimization. Cybervictims attributed to their experience of cyberbullying to drama or a fight between themselves and the perpetrators as well as being targeted by an ex-significant other or ex-friend seeking revenge against them for relationship dissolution. They also used adaptive (e.g. social support) and maladaptive (e.g. revenge) coping strategies to deal with cyber victimization, sometimes utilizing a combination of these strategies. Originality/value - The findings of this study could help with the design of intervention and prevention programs designed to reduce or prevent the negative effects of cyberbullying.