Bully-victim network perceptions of bullies, victims, and peer observers

Bullying is a complex social construct, and informants (e.g., bullies, victims, and peer observers) may have differing perceptions about bully-victim relationships. This study examines how informant perspectives differ using network data obtained from 438 fifth-grade students ( M age = 11.19 years old, 46 % girls) in 13 Indonesian elementary school classrooms. Using a cross-informant framework, we investigated how self- and peer-reported bully-victim relationships overlapped as a function of the sex of bullies and victims, friendship ties, and relational schemas (i.e., mental network heuristics). Results from a multiplex exponential random graph model revealed significant agreement between self- and peer-reports. There was greater agreement when bully-victim relationships occurred between non-friends. When self- and peer-reports disagreed, peers identified more instances of boys engaging in bullying than girls, as well as more cross-sex than same-sex bully-victim relationships. Self-reports more often identified bully-victim relationships between friends than between non-friends. Post-hoc analyses revealed that bullies and their friends often had conflicting views of their friendship. Additionally, peers reported more victims per bully and fewer bullies per victim when compared to self-reports. These findings contribute to the understanding of the network structure of bully-victim perceptions and offer practical implications for identifying bully-victim relationships. • Consensus on bully-victim relationships: Preadolescent bullies, victims, and peers often agreed on those ties. • Asymmetric awareness: When views differed, peers saw more victims per bully and fewer bullies per victim than self-reports. • Reciprocal bully-victim relationships: These ties were more often mutual than expected by random networks. • Moderation by gender: Peers reported more bullying by boys and more cross-sex bully-victim ties than self-reports. • Relational misperceptions within friendships: Bullies often saw victims as friends; this bullying was less visible to peers.