Prosocial Behavior as a Protective Factor: Profiling Peer Bullying Risk in Elementary School

Prosocial behavior is a critical component of children’s social and emotional development, fostering positive peer interactions and serving as a protective factor against bullying. While prior studies have explored prosociality, peer bullying, and digital media use separately, few have simultaneously examined these dimensions using a profile-based, cluster analytic approach in primary school populations. This study aimed to investigate prosocial behavior among fourth-grade students in relation to gender, bullying involvement (as perpetrator or victim), violent game exposure, digital device ownership, and daily screen time, and to identify prosociality-focused student profiles based on combined behavioral and digital risk factors. Participants were 229 students (52.4% girls) from seven primary schools. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Child Prosocial Behavior Scale, and the Peer Bullying Self-Report Scale. Analyses included independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA with Scheffé post-hoc tests, and Two-Step Cluster Analysis. Results revealed that prosociality was significantly lower among boys, students exposed to violent games, and those involved in bullying, with a moderate effect of extended daily screen time. Cluster analysis identified two distinct profiles: Low Prosociality–High Risk (predominantly boys, high bullying involvement, extensive violent-game exposure and screen use) and High Prosociality-Low Risk (predominantly girls, minimal digital and social risks).