Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of empathy, quality of friendships and coping styles on cyberbullying among teenagers. It utilised quantitative comparative correlational non-experimental design, using an anonymous self report questionnaire comprised of; The Cyberbullying Questionnaire (Sticca, Ruggieri, Alsaker and Perren, 2013), Coping with Cyberbullying Questionnaire (Sticca et al., 2015), The McGill Friendship Scale-Respondents Affection (MFQ-RA, 1999) (Mendelson and Aboud, 2012), and The Basic Empathy Scale (Jolliffe and Farrington, 2006) which was administered to 198 second year students. Insignificant results indicated no relationship between empathy and cyberbullying and cybervictimisation and quality of friendships. Students with higher empathy levels experienced higher quality of friendships. Cybervictims engaged in retaliation and helplessness/self blame. A relationship was discovered between quality of friendships and close support but not with technical coping, distal advice or assertiveness. Results and implications of the findings are discussed within. Author keywords: Cyberbullying, empathy, copying styles, quality of friendships
