How age and gender affect strategies of coping with cyber-victimization among youths?

Cyberbullying is becoming increasingly common among youths today. Similar with other forms of bullying, males and females in different ages might employ different coping strategies when they are being victimized. This study aims at examining the preference for strategies of coping with cyber-victimization and its interaction with gender and age among youths in Hong Kong. 949 local schoolchildren (566 males, 383 females) of Grade 4 to 12, aged 9 to 17 (M = 13.43, SD = 2.11) were recruited from one elementary school and four middle schools in Hong Kong. They completed a questionnaire asking their preference from a list of coping strategies when they are victimized online. Results from chi-square tests suggested that girls were more likely to use technical coping/instrumental support, helpless coping, and assertive/cognitive coping, while boys were more likely to use aggressive coping. Regarding the effect of age, children aged 9-11 were more likely than children aged 12-17 to show the messages to a grown-up. More children of age 15-17 opted for aggressive coping strategies than children of 9-11 years old did. However, no effect of age was observed for helpless coping. The limitations and the implications of the study will be discussed.