Victims, bullies, and their defenders: A longitudinal study of the coevolution of positive and negative networks

Abstract

The complex interplay between bullying/victimization and defending was examined using a longitudinal social network approach (stochastic actor-based models). The (co)evolution of these relations within three elementary schools (Grades 2-5 at Time 1, ages 8-11, N = 354 children) was investigated across three time points within a year. Most bullies and defenders were in the same grade as the victims, although a substantial number of bullies and defenders were in other grades (most often one grade higher). Defenders were usually of the same gender as the victims, whereas most bullies were boys, with boys bullying both boys and girls. In line with goal-framing theory, multiplex network analyses provided evidence for the social support hypothesis (victims with the same bullies defended each other over time) as well as the retaliation hypothesis (defenders run the risk of becoming victimized by the bullies of the victims they defend). In addition, the analysis revealed that bullies with the same victims defended each other over time and that defenders of bullies initiated harassment of those bullies' victims. This study can be seen as a starting point in unraveling the relationship dynamics among bullying, victimization, and defending networks in schools.

Who victimizes whom and who defends whom? A multivariate social network analysis of victimization, aggression, and defending in early childhood

“…Therefore, it might be useful to address this in interventions by facilitating children's interaction with many classmates to provide young children with the opportunity to observe and experience behavioral alternatives. Moreover, it is possible that young aggressors defend each other to prevent retaliation by victims or from defenders of the victims (e.g., Huitsing et al, 2014). The support between aggressive children may act as a form of reinforcement for this behavior.…”

“…Aggressors may defend each other when they target the same victims to satisfy affection needs and to prevent retaliation, a pattern that is shown in Figure 1a (Huitsing et al, 2014; Huitsing & Veenstra, 2012). Also, victims who are being victimized by the same aggressors may see defending against their aggressors as a way to satisfy affection needs (see Figure 1b).…”

Peer and self-reported victimization: Do non-victimized students give victimization nominations to classmates who are self-reported victims?

“…Consistent with this argument, reporters who seemed to be well-aware of which classmates had been victimized tended to behave as defenders, whereas reporters who seemed to be less aware of which classmates had been victimized tended to behave as outsiders. Disentangling the causal mechanisms of these relationships is certainly another important avenue for future research, and would require a longitudinal design, which allows researchers to test whether recognizing that a certain classmate is victimized leads to the defending of this classmate (e.g., Huitsing, Snijders, Van Duijn, & Veenstra, 2014;Snijders, Van De Bunt, & Steglich, 2010).…”

Bullies and Victims in Primary Schools

“…In every wave, students could choose from the following categories: 'Hungarian', 'Roma', 'both Hungarian and Roma', or members of 'another ethnicity'. Students who identified themselves as Roma or both Roma and Hungarian at least once 7 in the first four waves of the study 8 were considered as Roma, students 6 The items for bullying and victimization were selected and translated into Hungarian from the Dutch implementation of the KiVa anti-bullying programme (see e.g., Huitsing et al, 2014; the wording of the items was modified a little). In a pilot study, fifth-and sixth-grade students were asked to fill in selfadministered questionnaires and to take part in group interviews to assess the frequency at which the different types of bullying occurred.…”