To intervene or not intervene: the role of moral disengagement, self-control, and empathy in bullying bystander intervention

Prior research has documented that bystanders to bullying incidents play an important role in preventing and discontinuing bullying victimization among adolescents. However, there is little research that focuses on the bystander intervention strategies that adults engage in when they witness bullying. Using data collected from 576 adults aged 18 to 50 who resided in the United States and had witnessed at least one bullying incident, the current study sought to understand how commonly adults intervene when they witness a bullying incident, what types of intervention they engage in when they respond to bullying, and what factors impact intervention strategies. Specifically, we sought to explain types of bystander intervention strategies using a multi-theoretical framework including moral disengagement, low self-control, and empathy. Results suggest that the theoretically relevant variables impacted some types of bystander intervention strategies but not all. The findings have important implications for bullying intervention programming, which are discussed.