Trajectories of defending behaviors: Longitudinal association with normative and social adjustment and self-perceived popularity

Ana Bravo; Christian Berger; Rosario Ortega-Ruiz; Eva M Romera

doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2023.101252

Trajectories of defending behaviors: Longitudinal association with normative and social adjustment and self-perceived popularity

J Sch Psychol. 2023 Dec:101:101252. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2023.101252. Epub 2023 Oct 5.

Authors

Ana Bravo¹, Christian Berger², Rosario Ortega-Ruiz³, Eva M Romera⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Universidad de Córdoba, Avenue San Alberto Magno, s/n, 14071 Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: ana.bravo.castillo@uco.es.
² School of Psychology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Campus San Joaquín, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Región Metropolitana, Chile. Electronic address: cberger@uc.cl.
³ Department of Psychology, Universidad de Córdoba, Avenue San Alberto Magno, s/n, 14071 Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: ortegaruiz@uco.es.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Universidad de Córdoba, Avenue San Alberto Magno, s/n, 14071 Córdoba, Spain. Electronic address: eva.romera@uco.es.

PMID: 37951667
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsp.2023.101252

Abstract

Defending the victim in bullying situations is a moral behavior that has received increasing attention in the literature. However, important questions about the development and maintenance of defending behaviors remain unanswered. The present study adopted a longitudinal design with two main goals: (a) identifying trajectories of change in individuals' defending behavior over time and (b) describing and comparing the initial levels and dynamics of change in normative and social adjustment and self-perceived popularity between the different defending trajectories. A total of 3303 students (49.8% girls; Wave 1 M_age = 12.61 years; SD = 1.47) participated in the study. Data were collected in four waves with self-report questionnaires. Using growth mixture modeling, we found four defending trajectories (84% stable-high, 5% decrease, 4% increase, and 7% stable-low). Growth mixture model multigroup and comparative analyses found that adolescents in the stable-high defending group exhibited the highest initial levels of normative adjustment (M_intercept = 5.47), social adjustment (M_intercept = 5.48), and self-perceived popularity (M_intercept = 5). Adolescents in the decrease defending group tended to reduce their normative adjustment over time (M_slope = -0.09), whereas the increase defending group increased their social adjustment (M_slope = 0.18) and self-perceived popularity (M_slope = -0.04). The stable-low defending group showed low and stable levels of normative adjustment (M_intercept = 5.01), social adjustment (M_intercept = 5.03), and self-perceived popularity (M_intercept = 4.4). These results indicate a strong association between normative and social adjustment and self-perceived popularity and involvement in defending behaviors. Bullying prevention programs could improve by adding a stronger focus on the development of classroom dynamics that promote adjusted behaviors and class-group cohesion.

Keywords: Bullying; Defending; Normative adjustment; Self-perceived popularity; Social adjustment.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Bullying*
Child
Female
Humans
Male
Morals
Peer Group
Social Adjustment*
Surveys and Questionnaires