Online and offline peer victimization and negative social learning

Peer victimization can lead to depression, social anxiety, and suicide. Online peer victimization is an upcoming phenomenon. In this study, the relationship between the experience of online and offline peer victimization and learning from negative social feedback was investigated. It was expected that online and offline peer victimization would predict better negative social learning. This could be a possible pathway between peer victimization and depression and social anxiety. The Multidimensional Offline and Online Peer Victimization Scale (MOOPV) was used to measure the experience of online and offline peer victimization during the past six months. The Self profile task was used to measure negative social learning. Regression analyses were performed with 149 students aged between 18 and 29 (mean age = 20.41), but no significant effects were found. Therefore, it is possible that peer victimization is not a predictor of negative social learning. An alternative explanation for the...Show morePeer victimization can lead to depression, social anxiety, and suicide. Online peer victimization is an upcoming phenomenon. In this study, the relationship between the experience of online and offline peer victimization and learning from negative social feedback was investigated. It was expected that online and offline peer victimization would predict better negative social learning. This could be a possible pathway between peer victimization and depression and social anxiety. The Multidimensional Offline and Online Peer Victimization Scale (MOOPV) was used to measure the experience of online and offline peer victimization during the past six months. The Self profile task was used to measure negative social learning. Regression analyses were performed with 149 students aged between 18 and 29 (mean age = 20.41), but no significant effects were found. Therefore, it is possible that peer victimization is not a predictor of negative social learning. An alternative explanation for the fact that no effect was measured could be the few participants in this sample who have experienced offline or online peer victimization during the last six months before the study. Furthermore, the simplified way in which negative social learning was measured may have caused no effect was found. Exploratively, a weak negative correlation was found between whether someone had experienced offline peer victimization and how someone feels about themselves. In all cases, more research is needed on the path of online and offline peer victimization to depression and social anxiety to develop more effective treatment approaches.Show less

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Online and offline peer victimization and negative social learning