Bystanders Matter: Associations Between Reinforcing, Defending, and the Frequency of Bullying Behavior in Classrooms

: Salmivalli C, Voeten M, Poskiparta E

Publisher: LAWRENCE ERLBAUM ASSOC INC-TAYLOR & FRANCIS

: 2011

: Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology

: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY

: J CLIN CHILD ADOLESC

: 5

: 40

: 5

: 668

: 676

: 9

: 1537-4416

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2011.597090

This study investigated whether the bystanders' behaviors (reinforcing the bully vs. defending the victim) in bullying situations are related to the frequency of bullying in a classroom. The sample consisted of 6,764 primary school children from Grades 3 to 5 (9-11 years of age), who were nested within 385 classrooms in 77 schools. The students filled out Internet-based questionnaires in their schools' computer labs. The results from multilevel models showed that defending the victim was negatively associated with the frequency of bullying in a classroom, whereas the effect of reinforcing the bully was positive and strong. The results suggest that bystander responses influence the frequency of bullying, which makes them suitable targets for antibullying interventions.