The Relationship Between Adolescents’ Bystander Behaviors in School Bullying and Anxiety-Depression Symptoms: Based on Longitudinal Network Analysis

doi:10.12139/j.1672-0628.2025.04.010

Abstract

Abstract:

A sample of 1083 adolescents took part in a longitudinal study for six months which was measured twice. We employed longitudinal network analysis to identify central symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents. Besides, the relationship between adolescents’ bystander behaviors in school bullying and the symptoms of anxiety and depression was also examined. Finally, we tested the cross-time stability of this network structure. The results showed that: 1) the central symptom of adolescents’ anxiety and depression at Time 1 was “I am overly afraid or worried”, and at Time 2 was “I am deeply worried”; 2) the bridge between adolescents’ bystander behaviors and anxiety-depression network was “outsider behaviors”; 3) the structures of the networks were relatively stable across two waves. These results reveal the network structure between adolescents’ bystander behaviors in school bullying and their anxiety-depression symptoms, providing novel intervention perspectives for the psychological adaptation of bystanders.

Key words: adolescents, anxiety-depression symptoms, school bullying, bystander behaviors, longitudinal network analysis

摘要：

对1083名青少年进行为期六个月的两次追踪调查，采用纵向网络分析法考察青少年焦虑抑郁的核心症状，探究校园欺凌旁观行为与焦虑抑郁症状的网络关系，并检验该网络结构的跨时间差异性。结果发现：(1)青少年焦虑抑郁的核心症状为T1时间的“我过分恐惧或担心”及T2时间的“我忧虑重重”；(2)“局外行为”是连接青少年校园欺凌旁观行为与焦虑抑郁症状的重要桥梁；(3)两个时间的网络结构相对稳定。研究结果揭示了校园欺凌旁观行为与焦虑抑郁症状的网络结构，为校园欺凌旁观者的心理适应提供了新的干预视角。

关键词: 青少年, 焦虑抑郁症状, 校园欺凌, 旁观行为, 纵向网络分析

Zhenzhou BAO, Hua LIU, Mingshen YU. The Relationship Between Adolescents’ Bystander Behaviors in School Bullying and Anxiety-Depression Symptoms: Based on Longitudinal Network Analysis[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(4): 504-512.

鲍振宙, 刘花, 于明申. 青少年校园欺凌旁观行为与焦虑抑郁症状的关系：基于纵向网络分析法[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2025, 23(4): 504-512.

Figures/Tables 9

References 0

	陈嘉慧, 任萍, 吕沐华, 李添. 童年晚期抑郁症状网络的演化及症状间的纵向关系. 心理科学, 2024, 47 (6): 1381- 1391.
	储怡佳. (2023). 青少年亲欺凌旁观行为的发展轨迹及其前因与后果变量分析(硕士学位论文). 赣南师范大学, 赣州.
	纪林芹, 陈亮, 徐夫真, 赵守盈, 张文新. 童年中晚期同伴侵害对儿童心理社会适应影响的纵向分析. 心理学报, 2011, 43 (10): 1151- 1162.
	王大涛, 刘艳艳, 周建华. 同伴侵害对青少年内外化问题的影响: 有调节的中介模型. 心理与行为研究, 2023, 21 (5): 651- 657. DOI
	王孟成, 张新彤, 吕昌嵩, 黎志华. 男性服刑人员抑郁焦虑症状网络结构及其与父母养育方式的关系. 中国临床心理学杂志, 2021, 29 (3): 496- 500.
	杨晓霞, 陈亮, 曹衍淼, 毕馨文, 陈光辉, 张文新. 青少年早期同伴侵害的亚类别及其稳定性: 个体定向的分析. 心理发展与教育, 2020, 36 (2): 146- 156.
	喻承甫, 张卫, 曾毅茵, 叶婷, 李月明, 王姝君. 青少年感恩与问题行为的关系: 学校联结的中介作用. 心理发展与教育, 2011, 27 (4): 425- 433.
	张伟霞, 席敏, 阴甜甜, 王成, 司书宾. 基于网络分析的抑郁症产生与演变预测. 心理科学进展, 2023, 31 (11): 2129- 2141.
	Bandura, A. Moral disengagement in the perpetration of inhumanities. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 1999, 3 (3): 193- 209. DOI
	Beard, C., Millner, A. J., Forgeard, M. J. C., Fried, E. I., Hsu, K. J., Treadway, M. T., … Björgvinsson, T. Network analysis of depression and anxiety symptom relationships in a psychiatric sample. Psychological Medicine, 2016, 46 (16): 3359- 3369. DOI
	Bekkhus, M., McVarnock, A., Coplan, R. J., Ulset, V., & Kraft, B. Developmental changes in the structure of shyness and internalizing symptoms from early to middle childhood: A network analysis. Child Development, 2023, 94 (4): 1078- 1086. DOI
	Borkovec, T. D., Lyonfields, J. D., Wiser, S. L., & Deihl, L. The role of worrisome thinking in the suppression of cardiovascular response to phobic imagery. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1993, 31 (3): 321- 324. DOI
	Copeland, W. E., Shanahan, L., Costello, E. J., & Angold, A. Childhood and adolescent psychiatric disorders as predictors of young adult disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2009, 66 (7): 764- 772. DOI
	Copeland, W. E., Wolke, D., Angold, A., & Costello, E. J. Adult psychiatric outcomes of bullying and being bullied by peers in childhood and adolescence. JAMA Psychiatry, 2013, 70 (4): 419- 426. DOI
	Craig, W. M., & Pepler, D. J. Observations of bullying and victimization in the school yard. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 1998, 13 (2): 41- 59. DOI
	D’Augelli, A. R., Pilkington, N. W., & Hershberger, S. L. Incidence and mental health impact of sexual orientation victimization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths in high school. School Psychology Quarterly, 2002, 17 (2): 148- 167. DOI
	Dablander, F., & Hinne, M. Node centrality measures are a poor substitute for causal inference. Scientific Reports, 2019, 9 (1): 6846. DOI
	Demaray, M. K., Malecki, C. K., Ryoo, J. H., & Summers, K. H. Deconstructing bullying roles: A longitudinal latent profile analysis of bullying participant behaviors for students in grades 4 through 12. Journal of School Psychology, 2021, 86, 32- 48. DOI
	Doumas, D. M., & Midgett, A. The association between witnessing cyberbullying and depressive symptoms and social anxiety among elementary school students. Psychology in the Schools, 2021, 58 (3): 622- 637. DOI
	Epskamp, S., Borsboom, D., & Fried, E. I. Estimating psychological networks and their accuracy: A tutorial paper. Behavior Research Methods, 2018, 50 (1): 195- 212. DOI
	Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.
	Forbes, M. K., Wright, A. G. C., Markon, K. E., & Krueger, R. F. Evidence that psychopathology symptom networks have limited replicability. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2017, 126 (7): 969- 988. DOI
	Georgiades, K., Lewinsohn, P. M., Monroe, S. M., & Seeley, J. R. Major depressive disorder in adolescence: The role of subthreshold symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2006, 45 (8): 936- 944.
	Haslbeck, J. M. B., & Fried, E. I. How predictable are symptoms in psychopathological networks? A reanalysis of 18 published datasets. Psychological Medicine, 2017, 47 (16): 2767- 2776. DOI
	Kline, P. (2015). A handbook of test construction (psychology revivals): Introduction to psychometric design. London: Routledge.
	McElroy, E., Fearon, P., Belsky, J., Fonagy, P., & Patalay, P. Networks of depression and anxiety symptoms across development. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2018, 57 (12): 964- 973.
	Midgett, A., & Doumas, D. M. Witnessing bullying at school: The association between being a bystander and anxiety and depressive symptoms. School Mental Health, 2019, 11 (3): 454- 463. DOI
	Midgett, A., Doumas, D. M., & Trull, R. Evaluation of a bystander bullying intervention program for elementary school students. Professional School Counselor, 2018, 20 (1): 172- 183.
	Midgett, A., Moody, S. J., Reilly, B., & Lyter, S. The phenomenological experience of student-advocates trained as defenders to stop school bullying. The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 2017, 56 (1): 53- 71. DOI
	Mills, N., Pajares, F., & Herron, C. A reevaluation of the role of anxiety: Self-efficacy, anxiety, and their relation to reading and listening proficiency. Foreign Language Annals, 2006, 39 (2): 276- 295. DOI
	Panumaporn, J., Hongsanguansri, S., Atsariyasing, W., & Kiatrungrit, K. Bystanders’ behaviours and associated factors in cyberbullying. General Psychiatry, 2020, 33 (3): e100187. DOI
	Raposa, E. B., Laws, H. B., & Ansell, E. B. Prosocial behavior mitigates the negative effects of stress in everyday life. Clinical Psychological Science, 2016, 4 (4): 691- 698. DOI
	Ren, X. R. Artificial intelligence and depression: How AI powered chatbots in virtual reality games may reduce anxiety and depression levels. Journal of Artificial Intelligence Practice, 2020, 3 (1): 48- 58.
	Rivers, I., Poteat, V. P., Noret, N., & Ashurst, N. Observing bullying at school: The mental health implications of witness status. School Psychology Quarterly, 2009, 24 (4): 211- 223. DOI
	Salmivalli, C., Kärnä, A., & Poskiparta, E. Counteracting bullying in Finland: The KiVa program and its effects on different forms of being bullied. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 2011, 35 (5): 405- 411. DOI
	Salmivalli, C., Lagerspetz, K., Björkqvist, K., Österman, K., & Kaukiainen, A. Bullying as a group process: Participant roles and their relations to social status within the group. Aggressive Behavior, 1996, 22 (1): 1- 15.
	Troop-Gordon, W., Frosch, C. A., Wienke Totura, C. M., Bailey, A. N., Jackson, J. D., & Dvorak, R. D. Predicting the development of pro-bullying bystander behavior: A short-term longitudinal analysis. Journal of School Psychology, 2019, 77, 77- 89. DOI
	van Borkulo, C. D., van Bork, R., Boschloo, L., Kossakowski, J. J., Tio, P., Schoevers, R. A., ... Waldorp, L. J. Comparing network structures on three aspects: A permutation test. Psychological Methods, 2023, 28 (6): 1273- 1285. DOI
	Williford, A. P., Brisson, D., Bender, K. A., Jenson, J. M., & Forrest-Bank, S. Patterns of aggressive behavior and peer victimization from childhood to early adolescence: A latent class analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2011, 40 (6): 644- 655. DOI
	Xie, H., & Ngai, S. S. Y. Participant roles of peer bystanders in school bullying situations: Evidence from Wuhan, China. Children and Youth Services Review, 2020, 110, 104762. DOI
	Yun, H. Y. New approaches to defender and outsider roles in school bullying. Child Development, 2020, 91 (4): e814- e832.

人口统计学因素
年龄, M(SD)^a
	T1: 14.40(1.30)
	T2: 14.90(1.30)
性别, n(%)
男	535(49.40%)
女	548(50.60%)
家庭经济困难, n(%)^a
很大困难	16(1.48%)
较大困难	63(5.82%)
较小困难	386(35.64%)
没有困难	475(43.86%)

人口统计学因素
年龄, M(SD)^a
	T1: 14.40(1.30)
	T2: 14.90(1.30)
性别, n(%)
男	535(49.40%)
女	548(50.60%)
家庭经济困难, n(%)^a
很大困难	16(1.48%)
较大困难	63(5.82%)
较小困难	386(35.64%)
没有困难	475(43.86%)

	节点	节点	p	d(T2−T1)
焦虑抑郁	ADS4	ADS6	0.04	−0.11
	ADS1	ADS8	0.02	−0.02
	ADS6	ADS9	0.02	0.09
	ADS3	ADS10	0.03	0.07
	ADS2	ADS11	0.03	0.14
	ADS6	ADS11	0.03	0.11
	ADS11	ADS12	0.05	−0.09
	ADS5	ADS15	0.01	−0.07
	ADS9	ADS13	0.05	−0.02
旁观行为−焦虑抑郁	DB	ADS12	0.04	−0.02

	节点	节点	p	d(T2−T1)
焦虑抑郁	ADS4	ADS6	0.04	−0.11
	ADS1	ADS8	0.02	−0.02
	ADS6	ADS9	0.02	0.09
	ADS3	ADS10	0.03	0.07
	ADS2	ADS11	0.03	0.14
	ADS6	ADS11	0.03	0.11
	ADS11	ADS12	0.05	−0.09
	ADS5	ADS15	0.01	−0.07
	ADS9	ADS13	0.05	−0.02
旁观行为−焦虑抑郁	DB	ADS12	0.04	−0.02

[1]	Xin LIU, Yanling LIU, Jinyi ZENG. The Longitudinal Relationship Between Psychological Need Frustration and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Psychological Suzhi [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(4): 496-503.
[2]	ZHANG Qingji, GUO Fengbo, TU Yeman, QING Zaihua, SONG Feng. The Impact of Labor Values on the Latent Categories and Transitions of Adolescent Mental Health: A Dual-Factor Model Perspective [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(4): 569-576.
[3]	Kuo ZHANG, Peiyu LI, Jin’e ZHAO, Xuji JIA. Dichotomous or Multiple? The Heterogeneity of Motivational Frameworks of Growth Mindset Among Chinese Adolescents and Its Effect on Academic Adaptation [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(3): 346-353.
[4]	Miao CHAO, Yu ZHANG, Qihui XIE, Tuo LIU. Longitudinal Effects of Emotional Neglect on Short Video Addiction Among Rural Adolescents: Negative Emotion Mediation and Left-Behind Differences [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(3): 361-368.
[5]	Linxin LU, Zaihua LIU, Shuang YANG, Zhengkai JIANG, Weiqiang DANG, Jing TAN, Yongfei BAN, Ji SUN, Xiuyun LIN. The Association Between Social Exclusion and Depression Characteristics in Adolescents with Congenital Mild Limb Disability: A Longitudinal Analysis Based on Generative and Reflective Models [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(2): 216-225.
[6]	Yongli WANG, Panpan ZENG, Yuhua LI. Current Status and Insights on Children and Adolescents’ Mental Health Services: A literature Review Based on 12 Countries’ Experience [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2025, 23(2): 226-232.
[7]	Yujia YAO, Huihui LIN, Duo XU. The Relationship Between Trait Anxiety, Distress Tolerance and Emotional Regulation Flexibility in Adolescents: A Cross-Lagged Analysis [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2024, 22(6): 761-768.
[8]	Kuo ZHANG, Yiwen ZHANG, Peiyu LI. The Grade-Related Differences and Heterogeneity of Psychological Capital in Adolescents and Its Relationship with Social Adaptation [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2024, 22(6): 777-783.
[9]	Yitao LIU, Luansu ZHANG, Yuqi ZHOU, Xinyue ZHONG, Jianing YOU. The Effect of Left-Behind Children and Adolescents’ Family Cumulative Risk on Internet Addiction: A Moderated Mediation Model [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2024, 22(6): 791-798.
[10]	Jiaci YAN, Xingchao WANG. Parental Phubbing and Adolescent Loneliness: The Mediating Role of Parent-Child Communication and the Moderating Role of Parent-Child Attachment [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2024, 22(6): 806-813.
[11]	Yue MA, Jie WU, Shiqi ZHA, Chun YANG. Core Symptoms in Adolescents Interpersonal Distress and Its Network Relationship with Parent-Child Attachment and Psychological Boundaries [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2024, 22(4): 478-485.
[12]	Mingdong LIU, Donglin XIE, Tianyu ZHANG, Kunyan WANG, Xiangkui ZHANG. Peer Observing on Early Adolescent Risk-Taking Behavior: The Role of Distance and Quantity [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2024, 22(4): 501-508.
[13]	Yao XIAO, Xinting JIANG, Beichen HAN, Xiaojuan FANG, Yong LIU. The Relationship Between Disadvantaged Adolescents’ Perception of Aesthetic Education Practices and Life Satisfaction: The Chain Mediating Effect of Gratitude Tendency and Parent-Child Communication [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2024, 22(4): 523-528.
[14]	Tiansi LIAO, Yan HUANG, Xiaochen CHEN. Grandparent-Grandchild Intergenerational Contact and Attitudes Toward Older People: The Chain Mediating Effects of Intergroup Anxiety and Empathy [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2024, 22(1): 86-92.
[15]	Xingchao WANG, Fangfang TIAN. Childhood Maltreatment and Adolescents’ Bullying: The Roles of Adolescents’ Moral Disengagement and Fathers’ Moral Disengagement [J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2024, 22(1): 108-115.