Willingness to Self-Disclose Cyber Victimization to Friends or Parents: Gender Differences in Cyber Victimization a Year Later
Abstract
As computer access and use continue to expand for increasingly younger children, online social settings will continue to provide a prominent platform for children to experience victimization. Of particular interest to the present research was children’s (222 children, boys = 105; girls = 117) willingness to tell a friend and willingness to tell a parent about experiences of cyber victimization (Grades 3 and 4). This self-disclosure was then examined in relation to cyber victimization a year later (Grades 4 and 5), controlling for initial levels of cyber victimization at Time 1 and cyber usage at Time 1 and Time 2. For boys, willingness to tell a friend at Time 1 about cyber victimization was associated with less cyber victimization at Time 2 than not being willing to tell a friend. For girls, willingness to tell a parent at Time 1 about cyber victimization was associated with less cyber victimization at Time 2 than not being willing to tell a parent. These findings underscore the possible importance of willingness to self-disclose as a coping strategy to reduce future incidences of cyber victimization and highlight the complexity of this strategy in terms of gender and nature of social support.
Publication Title
Cyberpsychology
Recommended Citation
Salton, M., Cohen, R., Deptula, D., & Ray, G. (2023). Willingness to Self-Disclose Cyber Victimization to Friends or Parents: Gender Differences in Cyber Victimization a Year Later. Cyberpsychology, 17 (2) https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2023-2-2
