A Short-term Longitudinal Analysis of the Relation of Children Telling a Friend or a Parent About Being a Cyber Victim and Later Cyber Victimization

Children\u27s social interactions increasingly occur with the use of internet-accessible devices as Information and Communication Technologies(ICTs) continue to rise in both access and use, providing a powerful platform for children to experience victimization. Of particular interest to the present research was children\u27s (22 children, Males - 105, Females = 117) willingness to tell a friend and willingness to tell a parent about experiences of cyber victimization (Grades 3 and $) to cyber victimiztion one year later (Grades 4 and 5), controlling for cyber victimization at Time 1 and cyber usage at Time 2. For males, willingness to tell a friend at Time 1 about cyber victimzation was associated with less cyber victimization at Time 2 than not being willing to tell a friend. For females, willingness to tell a parent at Time 1 about cyber victimization was associated with less cyber victimization at Time 2 than not being willing to tell a parent. These findings underscore the importance of using disclosure as a coping strategy to reduce future incidences of cyber victimization and highlight the complexity of this strategy in terms of gender and nature of social suppor