Citation

Bravo A, Berger C, Ortega-Ruiz R, Romera EM. J. Sch. Psychol. 2023; 101: e101252.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Society for the Study of School Psychology, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jsp.2023.101252

PMID

37951667

Abstract

Defending the victim in bullying situations is a moral behavior that has received increasing attention in the literature. However, important questions about the development and maintenance of defending behaviors remain unanswered. The present study adopted a longitudinal design with two main goals: (a) identifying trajectories of change in individuals' defending behavior over time and (b) describing and comparing the initial levels and dynamics of change in normative and social adjustment and self-perceived popularity between the different defending trajectories. A total of 3303 students (49.8% girls; Wave 1 M(age) = 12.61 years; SD = 1.47) participated in the study. Data were collected in four waves with self-report questionnaires. Using growth mixture modeling, we found four defending trajectories (84% stable-high, 5% decrease, 4% increase, and 7% stable-low). Growth mixture model multigroup and comparative analyses found that adolescents in the stable-high defending group exhibited the highest initial levels of normative adjustment (M(intercept) = 5.47), social adjustment (M(intercept) = 5.48), and self-perceived popularity (M(intercept) = 5). Adolescents in the decrease defending group tended to reduce their normative adjustment over time (M(slope) = -0.09), whereas the increase defending group increased their social adjustment (M(slope) = 0.18) and self-perceived popularity (M(slope) = -0.04). The stable-low defending group showed low and stable levels of normative adjustment (M(intercept) = 5.01), social adjustment (M(intercept) = 5.03), and self-perceived popularity (M(intercept) = 4.4). These results indicate a strong association between normative and social adjustment and self-perceived popularity and involvement in defending behaviors. Bullying prevention programs could improve by adding a stronger focus on the development of classroom dynamics that promote adjusted behaviors and class-group cohesion.

Language: en

Keywords

Bullying; Defending; Normative adjustment; Self-perceived popularity; Social adjustment