Skip to main content

School and Family Factors Predicting Adolescent Cognition Regarding Bystander Intervention in Response to Bullying and Victim Retaliation

Journal of Youth and Adolescence volume 48, pages 581–596 (2019)Cite this article

Abstract

Youth aggression occurs at high rates. Aggressive acts can be curbed through bystander intervention; yet, little is known about school and family factors that predict bystander intervention in response to both aggression and victim retaliation. This research examines school and family factors related to standing up to aggression and intervening before possible retaliation occurs. Participants included 6th and 9th graders (N = 896, 52.8% female), who evaluated how likely they would be to intervene if they observed aggression and if they heard the victim was planning to retaliate. Family and school factors are important predictors of bystander intervention, with higher family management, and more positive school climate associated with greater likelihood of intervention and higher feelings of social exclusion and teacher and peer discrimination associated with inactive responses to aggression and retaliation. Thus, a complex constellation of factors relate to the likelihood of intervening if someone is being victimized or considering retaliation in response to victimization. The results provide guidance and new directions for possible school- and family-based interventions to encourage bystander intervention in instances of aggression.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • Abbott, N., & Cameron, L. (2014). What makes a young assertive bystander? The effect of intergroup contact, empathy, cultural openness, and in-group bias on assertive bystander intervention intentions. Journal of Social Issues, 70, 167–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aboud, F. E., & Joong, A. (2008). Intergroup name-calling and conditions for creating assertive bystanders. In S. Levy & M. Killen (Eds.), Intergroup attitudes and relations in childhood through adulthood (pp. 249–260). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahlin, E. M., & Lobo Antunes, M. J. (2017). Levels of guardianship in protecting youth against exposure to violence in the community. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 15, 62–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204015590000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahn, H.-J., & Rodkin, P. C. (2014). Classroom-level predictors of the social status of aggression: Friendship centralization, friendship density, teacher-student attunement, and gender. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106, 1144–1155. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036091.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Banyard, V., Weber, M. C., Grych, J., & Hamby, S. (2016). Where are the helpful bystanders? Ecological niche and victims’ perceptions of bystander intervention. Journal of Community Psychology, 44, 214–231. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21760.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barhight, L. R., Hubbard, J. A., Grassetti, S. N., & Morrow, M. T. (2017). Relations between actual group norms, perceived peer behavior, and bystander children's intervention to bullying. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 46, 394–400. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2015.1046180.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bastiaensens, S., Pabian, S., Vandebosch, H., Poels, K., Van Cleemput, K., DeSmet, A., & De Bourdeaudhuij, I. (2016). From normative influence to social pressure: How relevant others affect whether bystanders join in cyberbullying. Social Development, 25, 193–211. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.12134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benner, A. D., & Graham, S. (2013). The antecedents and consequences of racial/ethnic discrimination during adolescence: Does the source of discrimination matter? Developmental Psychology, 49, 1602–1613.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, S., Banyard, V. L., & Garnhart, L. (2014). To act or not to act, that is the question? Barriers and facilitators of bystander intervention. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29, 476–496.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, C., & Rodkin, P. C. (2012). Group influences on individual aggression and prosociality: Early adolescents who change peer affiliations. Social Development, 21, 396–413. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9507.2011.00628.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowes, L., Maughan, B., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., & Arseneault, L. (2010). Families promote emotional and behavioural resilience to bullying: Evidence of an environemental effect. Journal of Child and Psychology and Psychiatry, 51, 809–817.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, C. P. (2014). The role of families in preventing and buffering the effects of bullying. JAMA Pediatrics, 168, 991–993. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.1627.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M. (2018). Peer victimization and adjustment in young adulthood: Introduction to the special section. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 46, 5–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-017-0347-9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by design and nature. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, B. B., & Dietz, E. L. (2009). Informal peer groups in middle childhood and adolescence. In K. Rubin, W. Bukowski & B. Laursen (Eds.), Handbook of peer interactions, relationships and groups (pp. 361–376). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buhs, E. S. (2005). Peer rejection, negative peer treatment, and school adjustment: Self-concept and classroom engagement as mediating processes. Journal of School Psychology, 43, 407–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buhs, E. S., Ladd, G. W., & Herald, S. L. (2006). Peer exclusion and victimization: Processes that mediate the relation between peer group rejection and children's classroom engagement and achievement? Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.98.1.1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burkhart, K. M., Knox, M., & Brockmyer, J. (2013). Pilot evaluation of the ACT Raising Safe Kids program on children’s bullying behavior. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22, 942–951. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-012-9656-3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calvete, E., Fernández-González, L., González-Cabrera, J. M., & Gámez-Guadix, M. (2018). Continued bullying victimization in adolescents: Maladaptive schemas as a mediational mechanism. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 47, 650–660. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0677-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • de Vries, E. E., Verlinden, M., Rijlaarsdam, J., Jaddoe, V. W. V., Verhulst, F. C., Arseneault, L., & Tiemeier, H. (2017). Like father, like child: Early life family adversity and children’s bullying behaviors in elementary school. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-017-0380-8.

  • Denny, S., Peterson, E. R., Stuart, J., Utter, J., Bullen, P., Fleming, T., & Milfont, T. (2015). Bystander intervention, bullying, and victimization: A multilevel analysis of New Zealand high schools. Journal of School Violence, 14, 245–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2014.910470.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., Wong, C. A., & Peck, S. C. (2006). Ethnicity as a social context for the development of African-American adolescents. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 407–426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2006.04.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eliot, M., Cornell, D., Gregory, A., & Fan, X. (2010). Supportive school climate and student willingness to seek help for bullying and threats of violence. Journal of School Psychology, 48, 533–553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2010.07.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Espelage, D. L. (2014). Ecological Theory: Preventing Youth Bullying, Aggression, and Victimization. Theory Into Practice, 53, 257–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2014.947216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Espelage, D. L., & Colbert, C. L. (2016). School-based bullying: Definition, prevalence, etiology, outcomes, and preventive strategies. In M. K. Holt, A. E. Grills, M. K. Holt & A. E. Grills (Eds.), Critical issues in school-based mental health: Evidence-based research, practice, and interventions (pp. 132–144). New York, NY, US: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Espelage, D. L., Holt, M. K., & Poteat, V. P. (2010). Individual and contextual influences on bullying: perpetuation and victimization. In J. Meece & J. S. Eccles (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Schools, Schooling, and Human Development (pp. 146–159). New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Espelage, D. L., & Swearer, S. M. (2004). Bullying in American schools: A social-ecological perspective on prevention and intervention. Mahwah, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, C. B. R., Fraser, M. W., & Cotter, K. L. (2014). The effectiveness of school-based bullying prevention programs: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 19, 532–544.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, B. A., Osilla, K. C., Pedersen, E. R., Hunter, S. B., Miles, J. N. V., & D'Amico, E. J. (2015). Longitudinal family effects on substance use among an at-risk adolescent sample. Addictive Behaviors, 41, 185–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.10.017.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farmer, T. W., Hamm, J. V., Leung, M.-C., Lambert, K., & Gravelle, M. (2011). Early adolescent peer ecologies in rural communities: Bullying in schools that do and do not have a transition during the middle grades. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 1106–1117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-011-9684-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fink, E., Patalay, P., Sharpe, H., & Wolpert, M. (2018). Child- and school-level predictors of children’s bullying behavior: A multilevel analysis in 648 primary schools. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110, 17–26. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flaspohler, P. D., Elfstrom, J. L., Vanderzee, K. L., Sink, H. E., & Birchmeier, Z. (2009). Stand by me: The effects of peer and teacher support in mitigating the impact of bullying on quality of life. Psychology in the Schools, 46, 636–649. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey, K. S., Pearson, C. R., & Cohen, D. (2015). Revenge is seductive, if not sweet: Why friends matter for prevention efforts. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 37, 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2014.08.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gottfredson, G. D., Gottfredson, D. C., Payne, A. A., & Gottfredson, N. C. (2005). School Climate Predictors of School Disorder: Results from a National Study of Delinquency Prevention in Schools. Journal of Research in Crimean and Delinquency, 42, 412–444. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427804271931.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graber, J. A., Nichols, T., Lynne, S. D., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Botvin, G. J. (2006). A Longitudinal Examination of Family, Friend, and Media Influences on Competent Versus Problem Behaviors Among Urban Minority Youth. Applied Developmental Science, 10, 75–85. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532480xads1002_3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, D. L., Pepler, D. J., & Craig, W. M. (2001). Naturalistic observations of peer interventions in bullying. Social Development, 10, 512–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hemphill, S. A., Kotevski, A., Tollit, M., Smith, R., Herrenkohl, T. I., Toumbourou, J. W., & Catalano, R. F. (2012). Longitudinal predictors of cyber and traditional bullying perpetration in Australian secondary school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 51, 59–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2011.11.019.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hemphill, S. A., Tollit, M., & Herrenkohl, T. I. (2014). Protective factors against the impact of school bullying perpetration and victimization on young adult externalizing and internalizing problems. Journal of School Violence, 13, 125–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2013.844072.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Herrenkohl, T. I., Hemphill, S. A., Mason, W. A., Toumbourou, J. W., & Catalano, R. F. (2012). Predictors and responses to the growth in physical violence during adolescence: A comparison of students in Washington state and Victoria, Australia. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82, 41–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.2011.01139.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Herrenkohl, T. I., Hill, K. G., Hawkins, J. D., Chung, I.-J., & Nagin, D. S. (2006). Developmental Trajectories of Family Management and Risk for Violent Behavior in Adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39, 206–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.11.028.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Higuita-Gutiérrez, L. F., & Cardona-Arias, J. A. (2017). Variables of the family, school, and social environment context that determine bullying in adolescents in Medellín, Colombia, 2014. Journal of School Violence, 16, 68–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2015.1112807.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hope, E. C., & Jagers, R. J. (2014). The Role of Sociopolitical Attitudes and Civic Education in the Civic Engagement of Black Youth. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 24, 460–470. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James, K., Bunch, J., & Clay-Warner, J. (2015). Perceived injustice and school violence: An application of general strain theory. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 13, 169–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204014521251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, L. N., & Nickerson, A. B. (2016). Bullying participant roles and gender as predictors of bystander intervention. Aggressive Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21688.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Killen, M., & Rutland, A. (2011). Children and social exclusion: Morality, prejudice, and group identity. New York, NY: Wiley/Blackwell Publishers.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kupchik, A., & Farina, K. A. (2016). Imitating authority: Students’ perceptions of school punishment and security, and bullying victimization. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 14, 147–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204014557648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Latane, B., & Darley, J. M. (1970). The unresponsive bystander: Why doesn’t he help?. New York, NY: Appleton Crofts Century Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lester, L., Pearce, N., Waters, S., Barnes, A., Beatty, S., & Cross, D. (2017). Family involvement in a whole-school bullying intervention: Mothers’ and fathers’ communication and influence with children. Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0793-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Libbey, H. P. (2004). Measuring student relationships to school: Attachment, bonding, connectedness, and engagement. Journal of School Health, 74, 274–283. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2004.tb08284.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, X. (2002). Bullying in Middle School: Individual and School Characteristics of Victims and Offenders. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 13, 63–89. https://doi.org/10.1076/sesi.13.1.63.3438.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merrin, G. J., Espelage, D. L., & Hong, J. S. (2018). Applying the social-ecological framework to understand the associations of bullying perpetration among high school students: A multilevel analysis. Psychology of Violence, 8, 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000084.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Modecki, K. L., Minchin, J., Harbaugh, A. G., Guerra, N. G., & Runions, K. C. (2014). Bullying prevalence across contexts: A meta-analysis measuring cyber and traditional bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55, 602–611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.06.007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mulvey, K. L., Hoffman, A. J., Gönültaş, S., Hope, E. C., & Cooper, S. M. (2018). Understanding experiences with bullying and bias-based bullying: What matters and for whom? Psychology of Violence. (in press) https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000206.

  • Mulvey, K. L., & Killen, M. (2016). Keeping quiet just wouldn’t be right: Children’s and adolescents’ evaluations of challenges to peer relational and physical aggression. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0437-y.

  • Mulvey, K. L., Palmer, S. B., & Abrams, D. (2016). Race-based humor and peer group dynamics in adolescence: Bystander intervention and social exclusion. Child Development, 87, 1379–1391. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12600.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Musu-Gillette, L., Zhang, A., Wang, K., Zhang, J., Kemp, J., Dilibert, M., & Oudekerk, B. (2018). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2017. Washington, DC: Office of Justice Progams, U.S. Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 285, 2094–2100. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.285.16.2094.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nickerson, A. B., Mele, D., & Princiotta, D. (2008). Attachment and empathy as predictors of roles as defenders or outsiders in bullying interactions. J Sch Psychol, 46, 687–703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2008.06.002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brennan, L. M., Waasdorp, T. E., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2014). Strengthening bullying prevention through school staff connectedness. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106, 870–880. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035957.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olweus, D. (2010). Understanding and researching bullying: Some critical issues. In S. R. Jimerson, S. M. Swearer, D. L. Espelage, S. R. Jimerson, S. M. Swearer & D. L. Espelage (Eds.), Handbook of bullying in schools: An international perspective (pp. 9–33). New York, NY, US: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pellegrini, A. D. (2002). Bullying, Victimization, and Sexual Harassment During the Transition to Middle School. Educational Psychologist, 37, 151–163. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3703_2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pepler, D., Smith, P. K., & Rigby, K. (2004). Looking back and looking forward: implications for making interventions work effectively. In P. K. Smith, D. Pepler, K. Rigby, P. K. Smith, D. Pepler & K. Rigby (Eds.), Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be? (pp. 307–324). New York, NY, US: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Polanin, J. R., Espelage, D. L., & Pigott, T. D. (2012). A meta-analysis of school-based bulling prevention programs' effects on bystander intervention behavior. School Psychology Review, 41, 47–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rigby, K., & Johnson, B. (2006). Expressed readiness of Australian school children to act as bystanders in support of children who are being bullied. Educational Psychology, 26, 425–440.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robers, S., Zhang, A., Morgan, R. E., & Musu-Gillette, L. (2015). Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2014 (NCES 2015-072/NCJ 248036). Washington, DC: Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rutland, A., Hitti, A., Mulvey, K. L., Abrams, D., & Killen, M. (2015). When does the in-group like the out-group? Bias among children as a function of group norms. Psychological Science, 26, 834–842. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615572758.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rutland, A., & Killen, M. (2015). A developmental science approach to reducing prejudice and social exclusion: Intergroup processes, social‐cognitive development, and moral reasoning. Social Issues and Policy Review, 9, 121–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saarento, S., & Salmivalli, C. (2015). The role of classroom peer ecology and bystanders’ responses to bullying. Child Development Perspectives, 9, 201–205. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salmivalli, C., Voeten, M., & Poskiparta, E. (2011). Bystanders matter: Associations between reinforcing, defending, and the frequency of bullying behavior in classrooms. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 40, 668–676. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2011.597090.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Small, S., & Covalt, B. (2006). The Role of the Family in Promoting Adolescent Health and Development: Critical Questions and New Understandings. In F. A. Villarruel, T. Luster, F. A. Villarruel & T. Luster (Eds.), The crisis in youth mental health: Critical issues and effective programs, Vol. 2: Disorders in adolescence (pp. 1–25). Westport, CT, US: Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swearer, S. M., Espelage, D. L., Vaillancourt, T., & Hymel, S. (2010). What Can Be Done About School Bullying?: Linking Research to Educational Practice. Educational Researcher, 39, 38–47. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X09357622.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swift, L. E., Hubbard, J. A., Bookhout, M. K., Grassetti, S. N., Smith, M. A., & Morrow, M. T. (2017). Teacher factors contributing to dosage of the KiVa anti-bullying program. Journal of School Psychology, 65, 102–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2017.07.005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thornberg, R., Tenenbaum, L., Varjas, K., Meyers, J., Jungert, T., & Vanegas, G. (2012). Bystander motivation in bullying incidents: to intervene or not to intervene? Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 13, 247–252. https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2012.3.11792.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Tobler, A. L., Komro, K. A., & Maldonado-Molina, M. M. (2009). Relationship between neighborhood context, family management practices and alcohol use among urban, multi-ethnic, young adolescents. Prevention Science, 10, 313–324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-009-0133-1.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ttofi, M. M., Bowes, L., Farrington, D. P., & Lösel, F. (2014). Protective factors interrupting the continuity from school bullying to later internalizing and externalizing problems: A systematic review of prospective longitudinal studies. Journal of School Violence, 13, 5–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2013.857345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vossekuil, B., Fein, R., Reddy, M., Borum, R., & Modzeleski, W. (2004). The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/preventingattacksreport.pdf.

  • Waasdorp, T. E., Pas, E. T., O'Brennan, L. M., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2011). A multilevel perspective on the climate of bullying: Discrepancies among students, school staff, and parents. Journal of School Violence, 10, 115–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2010.539164.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, C., Swearer, S. M., Lembeck, P., Collins, A., & Berry, B. (2015). Teachers matter: An examination of student-teacher relationships, attitudes toward bullying, and bullying behavior. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 31, 219–238. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2015.1056923.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, C. A., Eccles, J. S., & Sameroff, A. (2003). The influence of ethnic discrimination and ethnic identification on African American adolescents’ school and socioemotional adjustment. Journal of Personality, 71, 1197–1232.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, A., & Salmivalli, C. (2015). Effectiveness of the KiVa antibullying programme on bully-victims, bullies and victims. Educational Research, 57, 80–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2014.983724.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zullig, K. J., Collins, R., Ghani, N., Hunter, A. A., Patton, J. M., Huebner, E. S., & Zhang, J. (2015). Preliminary development of a revised version of the School Climate Measure. Psychological Assessment, 27, 1072–1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000070.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the teachers, students and families who participated in this research as well as our research assistants who aided in collecting and preparing the data for this project.

Authors’ Contributions

K.L.M., M.J.I., C.D., and R.C. designed the study. K.L.M. and S.G. conducted analyses and drafted the manuscript. S.G., E.G. and G.I. collected the data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This project was supported by award No. 2016-R2-CX-0056, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.

Data Sharing and Declaration

All data associated with this project will be stored in the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data by 2020.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    Kelly Lynn Mulvey, Kelly Lynn Mulvey, Seçil Gönültaş & Eric Goff

  2. University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Greysi Irdam, Ryan Carlson, Christine DiStefano & Matthew J. Irvin

Authors
  1. Kelly Lynn Mulvey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Seçil Gönültaş
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Eric Goff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Greysi Irdam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ryan Carlson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Christine DiStefano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Matthew J. Irvin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kelly Lynn Mulvey.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of South Carolina and North Carolina State University approved the study with an inter-institutional agreement.

Informed Consent

All participants assented to participant. Parents provided passive informed consent for all participants.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mulvey, K.L., Gönültaş, S., Goff, E. et al. School and Family Factors Predicting Adolescent Cognition Regarding Bystander Intervention in Response to Bullying and Victim Retaliation. J Youth Adolescence 48, 581–596 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0941-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0941-3

Keywords

  • Bystander intervention
  • Family
  • School climate
  • Discrimination
  • Peers
  • Moral judgments