Bystanders' Support of Cyberbullied Schoolmates

Abstract

This study examined factors that increase or decrease the support a bystander offered to a victim of cyberbullying. Possible determinants of supportive behaviour were analyzed using a four‐step hierarchical regression analysis on data from 156 Czech children (12–18 years old; M = 15.1; 54% females) who witnessed their schoolmates being victims of cyberbullying. Among individual characteristics, only a general tendency toward prosocial behaviour was a positive predictor of supportive behaviour. Other factors such as age, gender, self‐esteem, and problematic relationships with peers had no effect. Among contextual factors, existing relationships with the victim, upset feelings evoked by witnessing victimization, and direct requests for help from the victim triggered supportive behaviour, while strong relationships with the bully inhibited it. Fear of intervening played no role. The practical implications of the findings are discussed with regard to the roles of the emotional response of the bystander and direct requests for help from the victim in cyberbullying interventions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Empathy in Traditional and Cyber Bullying/Victimization Involvement From Early to Middle Adolescence: A Cross Sectional Study

“…According to research, cognitive empathy is a pre-requisite for the development of affective empathy (Blair, 2005), but CMC may prohibit its development due to the limited non-verbal signs it provides (Cková et al, 2013). Therefore, users who already have low cognitive empathy may have greater problems understanding others' emotions through CMC.…”

“…Although empathy results from the joint function of the two components (Blair, 2005), these may differ across development and in their role in one's behavior (Kahn, 2002). preclude the user from experiencing empathy, since, according to Social Presence and Media Richness theories, several of its forms provide little to none non-verbal signs, which may increase the possibility of aggressive behavior (Cková, Dedkova, Sevcikova, & Cerna, 2013). Cyber-bullying (CB), a form of bullying materialized through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), has been found to negatively correlate with empathy (Baldry, Farrington, & Sorrentino, 2015), since low empathy users are more likely to participate in CB (e.g., Van Noorden, Haselager, Cillessen, & Bukowski, 2014), and/or cyber-victimization (CV) (SchultzeKrumbholz & Scheithauer, 2009).…”

Bystander Responses to Bullying at Work: The Role of Mode, Type and Relationship to Target

“…Viewing an abusive message online is considered as taking part even if the bystander privately disagrees (Macháčková et al 2013). Some have argued that cybercontexts result in ''…less opportunity for bystander intervention'' (Slonje and Smith 2008, p. 148).…”

“…This not only specifies acceptable/unacceptable behaviour online, but should also provide a benchmark for bystanders in justice perceptions. Further, it should be made clear that viewing an abusive message counts as taking part even where a bystander privately disagrees (Macháčková et al 2013). However, policies are not a cure-all, as traditional workplace bullying literature illustrates there is a lack of trust in policy implementation (Harrington et al 2012) and limited effectiveness (Beale and Hoel 2011).…”

Determinants of Self-Reported Bystander Behavior in Cyberbullying Incidents Amongst Adolescents

“…Two studies examined factors influencing bystander behavior in cyberbullying, 33,34 but neither included theoretical determinants such as attitudes, self-efficacy, or social norms. The purpose of this study was to explore selfreported cyberbullying bystander behavior and its determinants among adolescents aged 12-16 years.…”