Defending by Opposing the Bully or Supporting the Victims:Does it Make a Difference for Victims’ Anxiety?

Abstract

This study investigated whether the association between victimization and anxiety differed depending on the type of received defending (bully-oriented or victim-oriented). It was hypothesized that having victim-oriented defenders would be associated with less anxiety, whereas having bully-oriented defenders would be associated with either less or more anxiety for the victim. The sample consisted of 250 students between the age of 11 and 14 from 14 classes of various education levels in seven Dutch middle schools (Mage = 12.96, SD = 0.78). Four regression analyses were conducted. Findings showed that the association between victimization and anxiety was moderated by having victim-oriented defenders, but not by having bully-oriented defenders. Strikingly, this interaction was not in the expected direction. For students who were highly victimized, having more victim-oriented defenders was related to more anxiety. Having more victim-oriented defenders was only associated with lower anxiety when victimization was low. The results and implications are discussed and suggestions are made for further research.