A cross-regional comparison of Chinese bystanders’ psychological experience of campus bullying

Breaking the cycle of bullying requires attention to the role of bystanders. We sought to identify the influencing factors associated with the psychological experience of junior high school students as bullying bystanders in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan according to data obtained from the Program for International Student Assessment 2018. The findings show that parental emotional support and the perception of school cooperation were the main factors that determined the psychological experience of bystanders in campus bullying in all four regions. In Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, but not in Mainland China, girls were more likely than were boys to be active bystanders who defended or supported bullied students when bullying occurred. Other factors that must be considered are also discussed according to the regions studied.