A two-method investigation of early adolescents' responses upon witnessing peer victimization in school

Abstract Given the passivity of many adolescents upon witnessing peer victimization, the goal of this study was to evaluate the features of school-based peer victimization events that promote helping. A sample of 470 early adolescents (52% girls; 71% White, 9% Black, 6% Latino, 2% Asian, 1% American...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of adolescence (London, England.) England.), 2012-10, Vol.35 (5), p.1265-1276
Main Authors: Bellmore, Amy, Ma, Ting-Lan, You, Ji-in, Hughes, Maria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Attitudes
Adolescent Behavior
Adolescents
American Indians
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Black White Relations
Bullying
Bystanders
Child
Child development
Crime Victims - psychology
Description
Developmental psychology
Early Adolescents
Empathy
Female
Friends
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gender Differences
Goal Orientation
Helping Relationship
Hispanic Americans
Humans
Individual Characteristics
Interpersonal Relations
Intervention
Male
Pediatrics
Peer Group
Peer Relationship
Peers
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Responses
Social Behavior
Students - psychology
Teenagers
Victimization
Victims
Vignettes
Witnesses
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Summary:Abstract Given the passivity of many adolescents upon witnessing peer victimization, the goal of this study was to evaluate the features of school-based peer victimization events that promote helping. A sample of 470 early adolescents (52% girls; 71% White, 9% Black, 6% Latino, 2% Asian, 1% American Indian, 8% Multiethnic, and 3% Other) reported likelihood of helping and specific helping and non-helping behaviors with an experimental vignette method and through descriptions of recently witnessed real-life victimization events. With both methods, an adolescent's relationship with the victim predicted likelihood of helping and specific helping behaviors above and beyond the contribution of other key personal characteristics including gender, empathy, communal goal orientation, and previous victimization experiences. Examination of adolescents' real-life experiences yielded systematic patterns between their responses and their reasoning about the responses undertaken. The results illustrate the relevance of taking into account peer victimization event characteristics for promoting witness intervention in adolescence.
ISSN:0140-1971
1095-9254
DOI:10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.04.012