Speaker
Description
Research has found positive relationships between prosocial and bullying behaviors: however, we need to identify which prosocial behaviors moderate bullying Since 2015, Born This Way Foundation, has examined the relations between kindness and bravery and bullying with the aim to understand how kindness and bravery can serve as antidotes to bullying. The third phase of the Born Brave Experience survey (an international online study) was launched in 2016 and included N = 4,224 participants ages 13 to 25 (Mage = 20.04, SD = 3.03). This study was designed to understand the barriers and supports required to create a kinder and braver world by examining physical and mental health, online experiences, mental health, social support, prosocial behaviors, and bully victimization among youth and young adults. Three roles were generated from self-reported bullying involvement: bully (n = 99), bully-victim (n = 287), victim (n = 1,386), and uninvolved (n = 2,452).
A path model tested whether bully status predicted bravery and kindness; uninvolved participants served as the reference group. Robust full-information maximum likelihood estimation was incorporated to acknowledge non-normal and missing data and estimate robust standard errors. Covariates included participants’ body image, friend and family support, coping skills, optimism, and altruism. Model saturation rendered fit indices unavailable.
Significant model results found victim status as a positive predictor of bravery (β_V=0.053,SE=.015,z=3.531,p< .001) while bully and bully-victim statuses negatively predicted kindness (β_B=-0.073,SE=.018,z=-4.141,p< .001; β_BV=-0.098,SE=.016,z=-6.085,p< .001). Bravery and kindness were positively associated (φ_(Kind,Brave)=0.542,SE=.013,z=40.264,p< .001). Strategies to assess and increase kindness and bravery will be discussed.
Keywords
Kindness, Bravery, Bullying Prevention, Prosocial Interventions
| Please also indicate what kind of contribution it is: | Scientific |
|---|---|
| Please indicate what type of scientific contribution it is | Quantitative method study |
