Coping with Cyberbullying : A Systematic Literature Review

The present literature review aims to summarize current knowledge on coping with cyberbullying. Coping strategies are defined as responses (behaviours, but also emotions/cognitions) that are successful (or unsuccessful) against cyberbullying. We differentiate between three different coping domains: reducing risks, combatting the problem, and buffering negative impact. A systematic literature search was conducted yielding 36 relevant papers. Most of these papers report findings regarding general prevention strategies (e.g. anti-bullying policies or cybersafety strategies) and the use of coping strategies such as seeking support, reactions towards cyberbullies (retaliation or confronting), technical solutions and avoidant and emotion-focused strategies. A few studies report on perceived success whereas only a very few studies measure the success of the strategies in relation to cyberbullying, its risks and outcomes. In sum, although there are a number of studies investigating the use of coping strategies, there is a clear lack of evidence concerning the question on what are successful coping strategies. Based on the current lack of sound empirical data, the report suggests future research strategies.