Coping With Bullying Among Teenage Victims in Egypt: Mediating Effects of Sense of Hope and Social Support on Coping Styles.

PROBLEM: Victims of bullying often experience a range of psychological consequences, including increased risk for depression, anxiety, and other stress-related disorders.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating roles of hope and perceived social support in the relationship between bullying victimization and coping strategies among teenage victims in Egypt.

METHODS

A cross-sectional descriptive correlational study was conducted in eight governmental middle and secondary schools in Alexandria, Egypt, with 400 teenagers selected randomly from the eight educational zones in the governorate. Participants filled out the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire, Brief Cope Scale, The Children's Hope Scale, and The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Following STROBE principles, data were analyzed using t-test, Pearson correlation, and pathway analysis modeling (SEM).

FINDINGS: Bullying victimization was found to have a significant negative impact on both problem-solving and emotional coping, while showing a positive association with dysfunctional coping. Although hope did not demonstrate significant direct effects on problem-solving, emotional, or dysfunctional coping, it, along with social support, mediated these effects to varying degrees. Notably, social support exhibited a significant positive direct effect on both problem-solving and emotional coping but did not significantly influence dysfunctional coping.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the importance of fostering hope and strengthening support networks to improve coping and reduce bullying's negative effects.