Tamm, A., & Tulviste, T. (2015). The role of gender, values, and culture in adolescent bystanders’ strategies. Journal Of Interpersonal Violence, 30(3), 384-399. doi:10.1177/0886260514535097

Main point: to examine the role of gender, values and cultural origin in adolescent bystanders’ behavior in bullying situations.

Literature:

Bullying often happens in presence of other people. Adolescents’ helping behavior is associated with their need of approval of the audience. Bullying – inbalance of power and somebody gets hurt.

Adults intervene rarely. The older the child the less willing to help. Gender has an effect, too. And value priorities – benevolence (desire to do good to others), universalism, conformity, power, security. First three should increase bystanders’ probability to intervene, last two rather to defend one’s own ass. Culture differences: Estonians rated higher benevolence and universalism, Russian kids tradition, security, conformity and power.

Method:

682 7 graders, 82% Estonians. Kids were shown a video of two boys throwing around a younger one’s bag and a female bystander talking on the phone nearby, not intervening. A typical situation. Participants then were asked how they would have behaved.

Results:

10.8 % would have done the same as the bystander, 89.2% would have behaved differently. 37.4 % said they’d go and help. No significant gender diff. Estonians were more willing to help than Russians. The values’ effects were confirmed.