Standing Against Bullying: The Role of Teachers’ Support for Victims, and School Connectedness in Bystanders’ Defending Behavior

Bystanders’ decision to intervene in defense of victims plays a fundamental role in reducing bullying. Previous research has demonstrated that teachers’ support for victims and school connectedness encourage bystanders’ defending behavior. This study examines the longitudinal associations among these variables within a comprehensive model testing for additive, partial, or fully mediated effects. A total of 363 adolescents (34% females; age M = 13.35; SD = 1.47) participated in a three-wave study. The findings highlight that teachers’ support for victims can indirectly increase bystanders’ actions to help victims, with this effect being fully mediated by students’ school connectedness. Implications for anti-bullying interventions are discussed.