Bullying victimization and the social and emotional maladjustment of bystanders: A propensity score analysis.
This study investigated how bystanders, who have and have not been bullied, perceive their social and emotional maladjustment depending on the form of bullying (physical or verbal) they witness. Using propensity score matching, equivalent groups of 270 victimized and 270 non-victimized bystander groups were created based on middle school students' responses on the Bully Survey-Student Version (BYS-S; Swearer, 2001). Victimized bystanders experienced higher social maladjustment than non-victimized bystanders. Path analysis results suggest that social and emotional maladjustment as a bystander is related not only to social-emotional maladjustment as victim, but to gender and the form of bullying witnessed. The way in which bystanders are influenced by their personal victimization may be a critical factor in predicting, understanding, and increasing active bystander intervention.
Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, USA. Electronic address: jilynnwe@buffalo.edu.
Jilynn M
JM
Werth
Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, USA.
Amanda B
AB
Nickerson
Educational Measurement and Statistics, University of Iowa, USA.
Ariel M
AM
Aloe
Department of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA.
Susan M
SM
Swearer
D000293:Adolescent; D058445:Bullying; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D057216:Propensity Score; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology
Bullying; Bystander; Forms of victimization; Maladjustment; Victim