What Does It Take to Stand Up for the Victim of Bullying?: The Interplay Between Personal and Social Factors

Abstract

The present study focused on the role of cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal factors in predicting defending of bullied peer. Specifically, the degree to which peer status moderates the effects of emotional and cognitive factors on defending behavior was tested. The sample included 489 students (257 girls) from grades 4 (mean age, 10.6 years) and 8 (mean age, 14.6 years) in Finland. The reputation of being a defender of victimized classmates was associated with a stronger sense of self-efficacy for defending and greater social status within the peer group. Moreover, perceived popularity moderated the effects of both self-efficacy and affective empathy on having a reputation of a defender. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for interventions designed to reduce bullying.