Perceived Adults’ Responses to School Bullying and Students’ Bystander Behaviors: The Role of Parents, Teachers, and School Administrators

This study investigates how junior high school students’ perceptions of parents,’ teachers,’ and school administrators’ responses to bullying are associated with their bystander behaviors. Using a nationally representative sample of 3441 students in Taiwan, multiple linear regression analyses were conducted. Results showed that parents’ strong reactions, communication, and negotiation were positively associated with students’ defender behaviors, whereas parental inaction was positively associated with outsider behaviors. Teachers’ and school administrators’ active interventions were positively related to defender behaviors. In contrast, passive responses from adults were generally associated with higher levels of outsider behavior. Among the three adult groups, teachers’ active intervention had the highest standardized beta coefficient for defender behavior (β = 0.11), indicating the strongest association. These findings highlight the significant role of adolescents’ perceptions of adult responses in shaping their bystander behavior in bullying situations.