







































Emerging Perspectives 
ep.journalhosting.ucalgary.ca 
 

 
Review of the book Impacts of Cyberbullying, Building Social and Emotional 

Resilience in Schools 
 

by Sharlene Chadwick 

North Ryde, NSW Australia: Springer Briefs in Education, 2017, 89 pages 

ISBN: 978-3-319-04030-1 (paperback) 

Reviewed by 

Christina Gray 

University of Calgary 

 

Gray, C. (2017). [Review of the book Impacts of cyberbullying, building social and 

emotional resilience in schools, by S. Chadwick]. Emerging Perspectives, 1(1), 34-

36. 

Introduction 

 Impacts of Cyberbullying, Building Social and Emotional Resilience in Schools, by 

Sharlene Chadwick, provides an overview describing cyberbullying and its impact on the social 

and emotional wellbeing of youth. Chadwick’s book integrates American, Australian, and British 

research findings to provide a foundational summary of current understandings of the 

cyberbullying construct and related factors. The scope of this book extends cyberbullying 

research to applied practice that can be implemented for future research and within school 

settings to promote social and emotional resilience in youth. Chadwick’s thesis identifies 

cyberbullying as a recent phenomenon that is relational-behavioural at its core rather than 

primarily a technological problem. She argues that cyberbullying is simply another form of 

bullying that has the potential for serious long-term effects on youth wellbeing. Thus, Chadwick 

proposes there is a need for cyberbullying safety that must begin in school settings and include 

student-driven programs.  

Content and Structure 

Impacts of Cyberbullying, Building Social and Emotional Resilience in Schools is divided 

into five chapters. Much of the book involves providing concise overviews of research findings, 

operational definitions of cyberbullying-related terms, and understandings from existing 

cyberbullying literature. Chadwick integrates information within and across each chapter to instill 

a foundational understanding of the nature of cyberbullying in the reader.   

The introduction forms the first chapter of the book. Chadwick’s introduction broadly 

describes the construct of cyberbullying and outlines different types that have been identified by 

researchers, such as harassment and denigration. Integrated with descriptions of the cyberbullying 

construct are Australian and British statistics to describe its prevalence, as well as various online 

environments that youth are involved in. The chapter concludes by identifying similarities and 

differences in bullying that occur in online and offline contexts.  

The second chapter of the book focuses on the holistic nature of youth involvement in 

online environments, particularly with cyberbullying challenges. Although cyberbullying tends to 



Gray / Emerging Perspectives (2017) 34-36  35 

occur outside of school settings, the impacts of cyberbullying trickle across different settings. 

Chadwick identifies gender differences in cyberbullying found within recent research. She 

discusses challenges with cyberbullying research as stemming from the absence of a commonly 

accepted definition of the construct. Differing assumptions of the nature of cyberbullying 

subsequently inform different methodologies across studies. The chapter concludes with an 

outline of lasting online risks beyond cyberbullying instances, including a lack of youth 

understanding of privacy and of the concept of the digital footprint.  

The third chapter speaks to the developmental changes experienced by youth as they 

transition into adulthood, with a focus on factors contributing to social and emotional resilience. 

In this chapter, Chadwick identifies key researchers in resilience and makes links between 

resilience research findings and youth social and emotional wellbeing. In this chapter, she also 

summarises research on building social and emotional resilience in youth. Fostering social and 

emotional resilience is presented as critical for teaching coping strategies as youth become more 

immersed online, potentially becoming exposed to cyberbullying. This chapter incorporates 

diagrams, charts, and bulleted key points to emphasize protective factors, mental wellbeing, and 

resilience concepts in a clear manner for readers. 

The fourth chapter focuses on educational approaches and applied implications of the 

cyberbullying research discussed in preceding chapters. Chadwick discusses Australian study 

findings from a whole-school approach to bullying intervention. From this example, key areas of 

focus for policy and considerations for action to combat cyberbullying are identified from 

Australian policies. This chapter outlines key considerations with respect to promoting 

cybersafety, preparing educational materials, and the importance of peer education and youth 

empowerment. The role of parents and promoting changes in school culture are also 

acknowledged in relation to addressing cyberbullying.   

In the final chapter, Chadwick closes the book with identification of international initiatives 

to address cyberbullying. She specifically outlines cyberbullying interventions within the United 

Kingdom and the United States. She acknowledges that cyberbullying is gaining international 

attention through law and international arrangements to target the phenomenon, for example, the 

United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Commission movements. The theme of 

cyberbullying and teachers was also briefly addressed in this concluding chapter as an area of 

growing interest and importance when developing cyberbullying school-based policies.  

Critique 

There are several strengths inherent in Chadwick’s Impacts of Cyberbullying, Building 

Social and Emotional Resilience in Schools. A major strength of the book is its broad overview 

of cyberbullying literature in relation to youth wellbeing and school settings. The book is 

empirically-informed from research across several countries. Literature findings and key points 

are presented in a manner that is easily understandable. The inclusion of summative abstracts 

preceding text chapters as well as images, diagrams, and charts within each chapter to present 

information contribute to the overall readability of the book. Chadwick visually bolds and clearly 

defines jargon throughout the book, and this contributes to its readability for a range of readers. 

The book presents a foundational cyberbullying resource that may be useful to a range of 

professionals, from researchers and teachers to educational professionals and school 

psychologists. The inclusion of an applied focus in the text that is supported with cited empirical 
research contributes to the academic integrity of the book.  



Gray / Emerging Perspectives (2017) 34-36  36 

From a North American perspective, a limitation of Chadwick’s book lies in the 

predominant focus on Australian-based cyberbullying research and interventions in comparison 

to the other references. No explanation for the Australian focus was identified in the book, which 

can leave readers wondering how research and initiatives across other countries compare. 

Another limitation of the book is that Chadwick covers the surface of cyberbullying literature, 

and readers who are looking for greater depth in a subtopic area will require additional resources.  

In summary, Impacts of Cyberbullying, Building Social and Emotional Resilience in 

Schools provides an overview of cyberbullying in relation to youth wellbeing. The book provides 

the reader with a foundational understanding of the construct of cyberbullying, factors salient to 

its occurrence, factors that protect against the harm it may cause, and interventions that address 

cyberbullying within school settings. Chadwick integrates research findings with applied 

educational interventions and identifies challenges and gaps with existing cyberbullying research 

for future expansion. As an introductory, summative text, readers can gain an appreciation of the 

challenges that cyberbullying presents for youth as well as ways to promote wellbeing despite 

these challenges within school environments.  

References 

Chadwick, S. (2015). Impacts of cyberbullying, building social and emotional resilience  in 

 schools. North Ryde, NSW Australia: Springer Briefs in Education. 

 
 
 


