Cyberbullying and emotional vulnerabilities: role of coping styles

The more rapid adoption of the Internet in education settings has raised concerns about its impact on young adults who may suffer from cyberbullying victimization. As a negative life experience, cyberbullying victimization can adversely affect young adults’ mental health. With the pervasive integration of digital technology into daily life, cyber victimization has emerged as a significant concern, particularly among adults. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between cyberbullying and emotional vulnerabilities, focusing on the mediating role of coping styles among young adults. Correlational research design was used for this quantitative research. Survey was conducted as a method of data collection by using questionnaire to measure study variables. Through convenient sampling 437 young adults were recruited as a sample of the study. Findings reveal a positive correlation between cyberbullying, depression and anxiety. Moreover, results indicate a negative relationship between cyberbullying and self-esteem. Furthermore, role of gender, as an important factor in facing cyberbullying behavior. The results show males have greater level of facing cyberbullying than females. The avoidance coping strategies, rather than emotion focused coping strategies, mediate the relationship between cyberbullying, depression anxiety and self-esteem. These findings provide valuable insights into how and when cyberbullying affects adults depression, anxiety and self-esteem offering potential guidance for prevention and intervention strategies aimed at reducing the impact of cyberbullying on depressive symptoms in this vulnerable population.