Coping in the Digital Age: Do Coping Strategies Mediate the Link Between Online and In-Person Victimization and Depressive Symptoms?

With increased use of social networking sites in recent years, there has also been an increased opportunity for users to fall prey to bullying victimization. However, little is known about the differences between online and in-person victimization in association with depression or how different coping strategies may mediate this relationship among college students. The goal of the current study was to examine whether there were similarities or differences in the extent to which self-reported online and in-person victimization were associated with depressive symptoms in a sample of 210 undergraduate students (72.9% Women; 85.4% Cauasian), as well as whether different problem- and emotion-focused coping may differentially mediate the links between young adult victimization and depressive symptoms. Participants reported depressive symptoms, problem- and emotion-focused coping, and in-person and online victimization. In-person and online victimization independently predicted emotion-focused coping and depressive symptoms in young adults, and both problem- and emotion-focused coping predicted depressive symptoms. Further, emotion-focused coping partially mediated the effect of in-person victimization and depressive symptoms, suggesting that training more effective coping strategies may be an important intervention target to reduce depressive symptoms for those experiencing bullying victimization. Future research should continue to explore how different coping strategies act as a mechanism between victimization and depressive symptoms.