Teacher-Perpetrated Bullying Victimization and Deviance Among College Students: Examining Mediation by School Bonds and Negative Emotions

This study examines the relationship between teacher-perpetrated bullying victimization and deviance using a sample of undergraduate students from a Midwestern university in the USA (N = 858). Specifically, we apply social bonding and general strain theoretical frameworks to test if school social bonds and negative emotions mediate relationships between teacher-perpetrated bullying victimization and deviance. We find that students who experience teacher-perpetrated bullying victimization report higher levels of general deviance and cyberbullying perpetration. We also find that negative emotions fully mediate the relationship between teacher-perpetrated bullying victimization and general deviance, and partly mediate the relationship between teacher-perpetrated bullying victimization and cyberbullying perpetration. In contrast, school social bonds did not significantly mediate any of the relationships between teacher-perpetrated bullying victimization and deviance. These findings suggest that colleges should have policies in place that address teacher-perpetrated bullying and offer support services to students, particularly those involving mental health treatment.