Introduction: Bullying operates as a group process, shaped by the interplay of five bullying participant roles (e.g., perpetrators, victims, followers, defenders, and outsiders). However, research delineating the profiles and transitions of these roles remains limited. In addition, peer status (i.e., likeability and popularity) become more salient and valued during early adolescence. Students' self-perception of their own likeability and popularity (self-perceived) versus actual likeability and popularity as seen by peers (peer-perceived) have different implications and effects on adolescents' behaviors in bullying situations.
Purpose: Using latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis, this study examined the profiles and transitions of five distinct bullying participant roles (i.e., perpetrators, victims, followers, defenders, and outsiders) among Chinese adolescents, along with the predictive roles of self-perceived and peer-perceived peer status (i.e., likeability and popularity), respectively.
Method: A total of 3691 adolescents (50.7% boy at T1; Mage = 12.78; SD = 0.44) participated in the study across two waves over a six-month period.
Results: Four bullying roles profiles were identified at both time points: (1) non-involved, (2) victim, (3) perpetrator-follower, and (4) defender-outsider. The largest proportion of adolescents fell into the non-involved profile, which also demonstrated the highest stability over time. The remaining three profiles either maintained their initial membership or transitioned into the non-involved group over the study period. Furthermore, peer-perceived likeability and popularity showed the most stable and strongest effects on profiles and transitions. By comparison, self-perceived likeability was associated with a reduced likelihood of the victim membership and a higher likelihood of the defender-outsider profile over time, yet it also increased the probability of perpetrator-follower membership at T1 or stability in this profile.
Conclusions: These findings underscore the complex interplay among bullying participant roles and the significant impact of peer/self-perceived peer status on these dynamics.