Coping With the Stress of Being Bullied: Consequences of Coping Strategies Among College Students

The stress of being bullied has been associated with a wide range of negative consequences. In the present study, the authors hypothesized that the process of adapting to and coping with bullying would have a lingering effect on strategies used to cope with future stress. College-age participants (N = 1,339) completed an online survey tapping into (a) their experiences as a victim of bullying during adolescence, (b) their typical strategies for coping with stress, and (c) their current levels of stress. Consistent with the authors' hypotheses, victimization history was associated with both increased stress and an increased use of avoidant coping strategies. In addition, avoidant coping partially mediated the link between victimization and stress. These findings suggest that avoidant coping may develop as an adaptive response to uncontrollable stress but that, in the long term, these strategies are a maladaptive approach to coping that acts to prolong stress.