Effect of prosocial behavior on school bullying victimization among children and adolescents: Peer and student–teacher relationships as mediators

Abstract Introduction In this study, we examined the relationship between prosocial behavior and school bullying victimization in children and adolescents. We also tested the mediating effects of peer alienation and student–teacher closeness, as well as the moderating effect of the educational stage. Methods In total, 538 children and adolescents were recruited from three suburban schools in Beijing, China (252 boys, 286 girls; mean age = 12.47; 237 elementary school students, 101 middle school students, and 200 high school students). The participants were asked to complete the measures of prosocial behavior, peer alienation, and student–teacher closeness at the initial time point and reported school bullying victimization 3 months later. Results We found that prosocial behavior was directly and negatively associated with traditional bullying victimization (i.e., physical, nonphysical, and relational); however, it had no direct association with cyberbullying victimization. Prosocial behavior was indirectly associated with school bullying victimization (except in the relational dimension) via peer alienation, but no indirect effect of student–teacher closeness was found. Besides, the associations between prosocial behavior, peer alienation, student–teacher closeness, and bullying victimization were found equally among elementary, middle, and high school students. Conclusions The findings suggest that prosocial behavior is an important factor associated with decreased school bullying victimization, and peer relationships play a mediating role in this association. Our study extends the current understanding of prosocial behavior primarily as a consequence of child and adolescent development to an antecedent (of school bullying victimization), which contributes to a more comprehensive view of prosocial behavior.