Profiles and transitions of bullying involvement among Chinese elementary school students: School-level predictors and well-being outcomes

Abstract

Bullying is a complex social phenomenon and prevalent form of violence in school environments that encompasses various overlapping participant roles, including bullies, victims, and bystanders. The elementary school years are a critical period for the development of bullying involvement. Numerous studies have documented the adverse effects of bullying involvement on students' well-being. However, they have primarily focused on Western populations or adolescent samples, with limited attention given to Chinese elementary school students. Furthermore, due to a predominant reliance on cross-sectional designs, the relations between different profiles and transitions of bullying involvement and key antecedents and outcomes have not been explored fully. By combining person-centered and variable-centered approaches, this study examined the heterogeneous profiles and transitions of bullying involvement, including perpetration, victimization and three types of bystander behaviors (i.e., pro-bullying, passive bystanding, and defending) among Chinese elementary school students, along with their school-level predictors and well-being outcomes. A total of 2510 Chinese elementary school students (54.7% boys, Mage = 9.47) participated in self-report assessments on four occasions employing six-month intervals. Five distinct profiles were identified: non-involved; moderate victimization; moderate pro-bullying and passive bystanding; low perpetration, victimization and bystanding; and high perpetration-moderate victimization and bystanding. The non-involved profile revealed the highest stability over time. Students experiencing more psychological maltreatment by teachers and peer relationship problems were at higher risk of bullying involvement. In addition, students who were not involved in bullying reported the highest levels of well-being. These findings underscore the complex and dynamic nature of bullying involvement, highlighting the need for school professionals to provide targeted prevention and intervention strategies in schools taking into account group differences as well as developmental and cultural considerations.