Individual protective and risk factors for school bullying & victimization : Narcissism, Self-esteem and Empathy

Abstract

The present study investigates the association, between self-esteem, empathy and narcissism with bullying and peer victimization. The sample included N=1,715 (52.16% girls) Greek-Cypriot early adolescents (M age = 9.38). For the purpose of this study participants completed self-reported questionnaires. Pearson’s correlation results showed an association between self-esteem and peer victimization, empathy and bullying, and between narcissism and bullying/victimization. The results from the Multiple Linear Regression analyses suggested that bullying and peer victimization have a positive association, empathy and bullying have a negative association and self-esteem is associated with peer victimization in a positive way. Current findings can help contribute to the bibliography and provide useful information to develop new prevention and intervention programs for school bullying and victimization.