The Impact of Sexism and Teachers’ Characteristics on Bullying and Cyberbullying Interventions: Evidence from the Basque Country and Idaho

Abstract This study examines the influence of teachers’ characteristics on their likelihood of intervention in both in-person bullying and cyberbullying to inform the development of more effective bullying prevention training. In addition to examining established variables, such as self-efficacy, empathy toward victims, and perceived seriousness, this research introduces a novel variable: teachers’ sexist attitudes. To address the current gap in the literature, the study tested whether levels of hostile sexism, demographic factors, and territorial context (Idaho and the Basque Country) are associated with intervention likelihood. Furthermore, it compared teachers’ likelihood of intervention between in-person bullying and cyberbullying situations. A quantitative survey was conducted with 200 primary school teachers ( n = 120 from Idaho, n = 80 from the Basque Country). Structural equation modeling was used to examine whether hostile sexism was associated with teachers’ likelihood of intervention indirectly through perceived seriousness and empathy. Findings indicate that territorial context is positively associated with teachers’ likelihood of intervening in cyberbullying situations. Conversely, hostile sexism was indirectly associated with a lower likelihood of intervention, whereas higher levels of perceived seriousness and empathy promoted teachers’ likelihood of intervention. These results highlight the importance of integrating training in emotional competencies and awareness of the negative influence of sexism into teacher professional development programs.