The benefits of being defended: Perceived bystander participant roles and victims' emotional and psychosocial adjustment. (2nd January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ma, Ting-Lan; Chen, Wei-Ting
• Is Part Of: Journal of school violence. Volume 18:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 77
• Page End: 91
• Publication Date: 2019-01-02
• Subjects: Bystanders -- peer victimization -- participant roles -- emotional responses -- psychological adjustment; School violence -- Prevention -- Periodicals; School environment -- Periodicals; 371.78205
• DOI: 10.1080/15388220.2017.1387132
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1538-8220

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Despite a wealth of knowledge for factors predicting adolescent defending behaviors, it remains unknown about victims' adjustment resulting from experiencing the presence of different bystander roles in a victimization episode. This study analyzed 209 Taiwanese adolescents' reports of school-based peer victimization, perceived bystander actions in the event, and the victims' emotional responses (e.g., happy, sad), emotional status following the episode (e.g., feeling better, worse), and psychosocial maladjustment (i.e., depression, loneliness, anxiety). Our results showed that bystander participant roles varied by victimization types and that defended victims adjusted better than nondefended victims both emotionally and psychologically. Moreover, adolescent victims who reported the presence of an outsider during the victimization experienced more complex and negative emotional responses than victims who reported the presence reinforcer or assistant of the bully. Implications for interventions and prevention are discussed.