Doumas Diana M, Midgett Aida, Peck Matt
Institute for the Study of Behavioral Health and Addiction, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
Department of Counselor Education, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725, USA.
Children (Basel). 2023 Jul 11;10(7):1199. doi: 10.3390/children10071199.
Bullying is a significant public health concern that begins as early as elementary school and peaks in middle school. Although researchers have demonstrated the relationship between internalizing symptoms and being a target of bullying, there is limited research examining the association between internalizing symptoms and witnessing school bullying and defending targets or gender differences in these relationships. In this cross-sectional study, we examined gender as a moderator of the relationships between internalizing symptoms (e.g., depressive symptoms and social anxiety) and witnessing school bullying and defending behavior in a sample of elementary and middle school students ( = 126; 51.6% female; 3rd-8th grade). Results demonstrated that witnessing school bullying was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. For social anxiety, the gender x witnessing school bullying interaction was significant for social avoidance and distress (SAD), such that among female students, SAD was positively related to witnessing school bullying. In contrast, the gender x defending behavior interaction was significant for fear of negative evaluation (FNE), such that among male students, FNE was positively related to defending behavior. Findings suggest bullying prevention should incorporate bystander training programs that include a focus on gender differences in social anxiety associated with being a bullying bystander.
欺凌是一个重大的公共卫生问题，早在小学阶段就开始出现，并在中学阶段达到高峰。尽管研究人员已经证明了内化症状与成为欺凌目标之间的关系，但关于内化症状与目睹校园欺凌、为受欺凌者辩护之间的关联，以及这些关系中的性别差异的研究却很有限。在这项横断面研究中，我们以小学和初中学生样本（n = 126；51.6%为女生；3至8年级）为对象，考察了性别作为内化症状（如抑郁症状和社交焦虑）与目睹校园欺凌及辩护行为之间关系的调节变量。结果表明，目睹校园欺凌是抑郁症状的一个重要预测因素。对于社交焦虑，性别与目睹校园欺凌的交互作用在社交回避和痛苦（SAD）方面具有显著性，即对于女生而言，SAD与目睹校园欺凌呈正相关。相反，性别与辩护行为的交互作用在对负面评价的恐惧（FNE）方面具有显著性，即对于男生而言，FNE与辩护行为呈正相关。研究结果表明，欺凌预防应纳入旁观者培训项目，其中应关注与成为欺凌旁观者相关的社交焦虑中的性别差异。
