@Article{ijmhp.2024.056533,
AUTHOR = {Han Xie, Yizhe Jiang, Kunjie Cui},
TITLE = {Do Victims Defend Victims? The Mediating Role of Empathy between Victimization Experience and Public-Defending Tendency in School Bullying Situations},
JOURNAL = {International Journal of Mental Health Promotion},
VOLUME = {26},
YEAR = {2024},
NUMBER = {12},
PAGES = {1033--1043},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/IJMHP/v26n12/59156},
ISSN = {2049-8543},
ABSTRACT = { <b>Objectives:</b> This study investigates the association between victimization experience and the tendency to defend on behalf of victims during school bullying incidents in public settings, with a focus on the mediating effect of empathy and the moderating role of school level among Chinese children and adolescents.  <b>Methods:</b> Data were collected by a cross-sectional survey. A total of 1491 students in Grades 4–11 participated (Boys = 52.8%; Mean<sub>age</sub> = 13.00 years, Standard Deviation<sub>age</sub> = 2.31). Structural equation modeling is employed to test the hypotheses.  <b>Results:</b> The results indicate that empathy measures partially mediate the relationship between victimization experience and defending tendency in public in-school bullying situations. In particular, individuals with a history of victimization typically demonstrate lower levels of empathy. They are less likely to protect victims in school bullying situations in the presence of others, which suggests that empathy plays a significant mediating role in this relationship. Group differences were found between primary and secondary school students, which indicates that the hypothesized model should be considered through a developmental perspective. <b>Conclusions:</b> The findings of this study emphasize the importance of children’s benign peer relationships, and practitioners are encouraged to prevent victimization in schools and care for students who have been victimized; specific measures include cultivating empathy, teaching defending skills that have been found to help reduce the adverse effects of victimization, and encouraging prosocial behavior during children's socialization development.},
DOI = {10.32604/ijmhp.2024.056533}
}