Associations between Witnessing and Perpetrating Online Hate in Eight Countries: The Buffering Effects of Problem-Focused Coping

Online hate is a topic that has received considerable interest lately, as online hate represents a risk to self-determination and peaceful coexistence in societies around the globe. However, not much is known about the explanations for adolescents posting or forwarding hateful online material or how...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2019-10, Vol.16 (20), p.3992
Main Authors: Wachs, Sebastian, Wright, Michelle F, Sittichai, Ruthaychonnee, Singh, Ritu, Biswal, Ramakrishna, Kim, Eun-Mee, Yang, Soeun, Gámez-Guadix, Manuel, Almendros, Carmen, Flora, Katerina, Daskalou, Vassiliki, Maziridou, Evdoxia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Adolescents
Aggressiveness
Assertiveness
Child
Coping
Cyberbullying
Discrimination
Female
Group identity
Hate
Humans
Hypotheses
Internet
Male
Observational learning
Peers
Self Report
Sexual orientation
Social acceptance
Social classes
Social groups
Social interactions
Social networks
Social research
Social status
Stress
Surveys and Questionnaires
Teenagers
Well being
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Summary:Online hate is a topic that has received considerable interest lately, as online hate represents a risk to self-determination and peaceful coexistence in societies around the globe. However, not much is known about the explanations for adolescents posting or forwarding hateful online material or how adolescents cope with this newly emerging online risk. Thus, we sought to better understand the relationship between a bystander to and perpetrator of online hate, and the moderating effects of problem-focused coping strategies (e.g., assertive, technical coping) within this relationship. Self-report questionnaires on witnessing and committing online hate and assertive and technical coping were completed by 6829 adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age from eight countries. The results showed that increases in witnessing online hate were positively related to being a perpetrator of online hate. Assertive and technical coping strategies were negatively related with perpetrating online hate. Bystanders of online hate reported fewer instances of perpetrating online hate when they reported higher levels of assertive and technical coping strategies, and more frequent instances of perpetrating online hate when they reported lower levels of assertive and technical coping strategies. In conclusion, our findings suggest that, if effective, prevention and intervention programs that target online hate should consider educating young people about problem-focused coping strategies, self-assertiveness, and media skills. Implications for future research are discussed.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph16203992