Why do cyberbullied adolescents stay in contact with their harasser? A Literature Review and Reflection on Cyberbullied Adolescents' Coping Strategies.

BACKGROUND: Many young patients who are cyberbullied maintain communication with their harasser, despite the fact that this behaviour perpetuates the harassment. Numerous studies describe coping strategies adopted by cyberbullied adolescents. None describe what motivates adolescents to continue to communicate with their harassers.

METHODS: We conducted a literature review of cyberbullying, taking into account the challenges of adolescence. We used several search engines (Scopus, PsycINFO, Cairn and PubMed), using the following keywords: cyberbullying, teens, behaviour, coping strategies, social network, Facebook, counterpart. Our search returned 526 results, which were subsequently sorted as a function of their relevance. We also consulted reference books on adolescent psychology.

RESULTS: The adolescent, whose identity is being rebuilt, seeks a peer group, but also a relationship with a counterpart. This search is replayed on social networks and can lead adolescents to meet a counterpart harasser. Studies show that adolescents who suffer from cyberbullying are more likely than others to be in search of new friendships, and use social networks to make up for a lack or absence of fulfilling social relationships. They have fewer friends, have more difficulty maintaining social ties, and have fewer communication skills. In addition, cyberbullied adolescents have poorer relationships with their parents and teachers than their peers.

CONCLUSIONS: Narcissistically fragile adolescents are at greater risk of being unable to stop communicating with their cyberbully. If the adolescent has no other relationships that enable him or her to develop their identity, they will be unable to put an end to this harmful counterpart relationship. It would be interesting to supplement this review with an experimental study, and to consider the development of new, secondary prevention strategies in the adolescent population.