Aggressive and Defensive Behaviour, Normative, and Social Adjustment in the Complex Dynamics of School Bullying

Abstract

Bullying is a group phenomenon in which schoolchildren take on different roles. Although certain contextual elements play a key role in its evolution, very few longitudinal studies have been carried out to date which investigate how these factors interact. This study aims to explore the different class groupings as regards bullying norms and to examine the effect of the type of norm, social, and normative adjustment and pro-sociality, also of the interaction of group norms with involvement in aggression and victim defence in bullying situations. A total of 3,358 secondary school students (50.71% girls, M age = 13 years, SD = 1.34) participated in the study. Four groups of norms towards bullying were identified: anti-bullying, anti-bullying but not actively defending, indifference, and pro-bullying. Univariate linear regression models showed that normative adjustment and the type of norms had a direct inverse effect on both types of behaviour, while pro-sociality only had an effect on defence. In groups with pro-bullying norms, a greater effect of normative adjustment was observed for involvement in defence and aggression, and pro-social skills were associated with aggression. These results suggest the need to work on moral, social and emotional elements to improve school climate in schools.

Preschool Aggression and Victimization: A Short-Term Longitudinal Analysis of the Immediate Social Environment

“…This contradicts research results showing that children who are more likely to engage in peer aggression or experience peer victimization tend to have less close relationships with their teachers. 42 , 80 The lack of association can be explained by the fact that aggressive interactions are often shaped by different factors such as social skills, communication abilities, and peer groups acceptance, 76 , 81 which may not be directly impact by the closeness with a teacher. Additionally, teachers may not have a comprehensive view of children’s interactions during unstructured playtime or outside the classroom, limiting their ability to observe and influence specific peer dynamics.…”

The Perceived Severity of Adolescent Dating Violence (PS-ADV) Scale: A Validation Study

“…Several studies conducted with adolescents have found that empathy is negatively associated with violent behavior (Euler et al, 2017;Hartmann et al, 2010;Martos Martínez et al, 2021;Vachon et al, 2014). Other studies have linked empathy with other types of violence, such as bullying (Carmona-Rojas et al, 2023;Espelage et al, 2018;Euler et al, 2017;Hartmann et al, 2010;Zych et al, 2018).…”