Dimensions of Empathy and Bystander Intervention Action in Bullying Across Age

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to extend the literature by examining how bystander intervention (i.e. when a witness to a bullying episodes does something to address the situation) varies with respect to the type of bystander intervention (i.e. direct intervention, emotional intervention, involving an adult, ignore) across victim status (friend, unknown), intervener age (elementary, high school), and dimensions of empathy (affective, cognitive) in the intervener. Given substantive differences in both empathy (especially cognitive empathy) and bystander intervention when comparing children to older adolescents, the association between empathy and intervening may differ across age groups. Self-report survey data were collected from 370 racially diverse participants in grades 3–5 ; (n = 158) and grades 9–12 (n = 212) in the southeastern area of the United States. Multi-group path analysis was conducted. Results varied by intervener age, type of intervention, and type of empathy. Affective empathy for high school students was not related to intervention at all, but affective empathy for elementary students was related to emotional intervention. For both age groups, cognitive empathy was related to emotional intervention and reporting to adults for all unknown victims, as well as for known victims in high school students. For known victims, no clear pattern emerged for age groups and how empathy was associated with each type of intervention. Overall, the findings suggest that bystander intervention in bullying is not a “one size fits all” behavior. Bystander intervention programs for bullying should provide more nuanced training regarding types of interventions and encourage empathy and action for both known and unknown victims.

KEYWORDS:

• bullying
• peer victimization
• bystander intervention
• empathy
• bystander actions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data sharing

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Suravi Changlani

Suravi Changlani, M.A., is a doctoral student in the Counseling and School Psychology program at Florida State University.  Her research interests focus on the prevention of bullying and other aggressive behavior.

Lyndsay Jenkins

Lyndsay Jenkins, Ph.D., NCSP, Licensed Psychologist, is the Michael and Jean Shahnasarian Endowed Associate Professor of Counseling and School Psychology in the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems at Florida State University.  Her research interests focus on bystander behaviors, bullying and peer victimization, and childhood trauma.

Yanyun Yang

Yanyun Yang, Ph.D., is a Professor of Measurement and Statistics in the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems at Florida State University.  Her research interests focus on structural equation modeling, reliability estimation methods, and application of advanced statistical techniques in educational and psychological research.