Experiences of adolescent witnesses to peer victimization: The bystander effect

Many anti-bullying programs now emphasize the role of bystanders - youth who witness peer victimization. Using a large sample of adolescents (aged 12-18) from the United Kingdom who completed an online survey, the present study examined the types of bystander interventions, their outcomes, and reasons for intervening and not intervening. No significant group differences by any demographic group were found in intervening or not. Results showed that those who had a negative affective reaction when they witnessed bullying were more likely to intervene. Two intervening behaviors (telling the bully to stop and telling an adult) were the strongest predictors of positive results. The most frequently selected reason for not intervening was not knowing what to do, and for intervening, having prosocial and altruistic motives was most common. These and other results are discussed for theoretical and practical implications.24 month embargo; available online 19 May 2020This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu