The psychological consequences of online harassment on adults

Abstract

Cyberbullying has become increasingly prevalent with the development of modern technology and social-networking platforms. Whilst cyberbullying has been associated with various negative outcomes for victims, the current understanding of cyberbullying is predominantly based upon studies of adolescent and younger populations, with adult populations receiving limited attention. The present study is a systematic review of empirical academic papers on cyberbullying in adult populations. A search of online databases (Embase, Pubmed, PsychINFO, and Scopus) identified 4996 references that were reduced to 17 studies published between 2008 and 2018. In order to be considered for analysis studies needed to include participants over the age of 18 and assess cyberbullying in relation to another variable. Each study was analysed regarding its definition and conceptualisation of cyberbullying, sample characteristics, and approaches to measuring correlates of cyberbullying. Results indicated that there has been an inconsistent approach to defining and measuring cyberbullying in empirical studies. Whilst cyberbullying victimisation was associated with negative psychosocial outcomes, there is a need for further empirical studies which corroborate this and examine potential mediating variables, such as coping strategies, social support, and frequency and type of victimisation.