Do fear of victimization and importance of being popular predict victim-defending and bully-following behaviors?

This study investigates whether fear of victimization and finding popularity important are concurrently and prospectively associated with engaging in bystander behaviors (i.e., bully-following, confronting defending, comforting defending) in school bullying situations. Participants included 2,709 Finnish adolescents in Grades 7–9 ( M age = 13.79, SD = .95; 51.5% boys). Contrary to expectations, fear of victimization did not predict a lower likelihood of defending behaviors but was concurrently and longitudinally associated with lower bully-following, suggesting that fear may inhibit harmful peer alignment rather than defending. The importance of being popular was positively associated with bully-following over time but showed no consistent associations with defending. These findings highlight the nuanced role of fear and status motives in shaping bystander behavior and inform intervention strategies that aim to foster prosocial engagement in bullying situations.