Defending victimized peers in unique ways: Profiles and transitions in defending strategies and their associations with youth social-emotional adjustment

Abstract

Bystanders can use various strategies to combat bullying and help their victimized peers. This three-wave longitudinal study used latent transition analysis to examine the stability and change in youth's engagement in multiple defending strategies (i.e., defending profiles) and their associations with social-emotional adjustment. Participants were 1259 Chinese youth (M_age = 10.90 years, SD = 0.96, 42.6 % girls) who completed self-reported measures of defending behaviors, peer victimization, and depressive symptoms, and received peer nominations of peer preference. Four defending profiles were identified consistently across time points: aggressive and non-aggressive defenders, average defenders, infrequent defenders, and nonaggressive defenders. Further, results revealed that the nonaggressive defender and average defender profiles were relatively stable, while the aggressive and non-aggressive defender and infrequent defender profiles showed more transitions across time. Importantly, profile membership and change patterns were differentially associated with social-emotional adjustment. The stable membership in or transition to the nonaggressive defender profile was associated with optimal adjustment, whereas membership in or transition to the aggressive and non-aggressive defender profile conferred greater social risk. The findings advance our understanding of the heterogeneity and dynamic in youth's defending strategy and their unique implications for youth's social-emotional development, which may inform interventions tailored to promote safer defending in bullying situations.