Testing a mediational model of bullied victims' evaluation of received support and post-bullying adaptation: A japan-u.s. cross-cultural comparison

What sort of social support best enhances bullied victims' adjustment has yet to be clarified. To explore this support-related aspects of bullied individuals' coping process, a mediational model of social support and adaptation was tested with the data from Japan (n=148) and the US (n=192). The results indicated that emotional support generated positive appraisal, which, in turn, enhanced victims' behavioral and mental adjustment. At the same time, other types of support were found to be less effective or even deteriorative. In addition, these dynamics of supportive communication for bullied victims showed both similarities and differences across cultures. These findings were discussed with reference to the research on bullying, supportive communication, and cross-cultural variations in value orientation.