The bullies, victims, and bystanders of bullying among adolescents in Bali

Ni Putu Eka Febianingsih; Ni Made Sri Muryani

Authors

Ni Putu Eka Febianingsih Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Kesdam IX/Udayana, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
Ni Made Sri Muryani Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Kesehatan Kesdam IX/Udayana, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

Keywords:

adolescents, bystanders, the bullies, victims

Abstract

Purpose: Bullying is a repeated and intentional form of aggressive behavior involving intimidation, oppression, or harm toward others. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of bullying victimization and perpetration among adolescents in Bali and to describe their bystander responses, including prosocial and negative bystander behavior.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional survey involved 783 adolescents in Bali recruited using a two-stage cluster sampling procedure. Data were collected from September to November 2022 through a confidential self-administered online questionnaire administered via Google Forms. The questionnaire was adapted from the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire and assessed bullying victimization, perpetration, and bystander responses. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics and estimated the prevalence of each bullying-related role.

Results: When assessed as separate dimensions, bullying victimization was reported by 35.9% of respondents and bullies (bullying perpetration) by 19.0%. Regarding bystander responses, 46.4% of respondents were classified as prosocial bystanders, whereas 53.6% were classified as negative bystanders.

Conclusion: Bullying remains an important concern among adolescents in Bali, particularly because a substantial proportion of respondents reported victimization and negative bystander behavior. Health workers should strengthen early identification and psychosocial support for adolescents affected by bullying. Educators should implement school-based prevention and bystander-intervention strategies, parents should promote supportive communication and prosocial behavior, and policymakers should strengthen comprehensive anti-bullying policies and cross-sectoral collaboration.

References

Wardhana K. Buku panduan melawan bullying. Jakarta: Sudah Dong, Stop Bullying Campaign; 2015.

UNICEF Indonesia. Cara membicarakan bullying dengan anak anda (tips untuk orang tua). UNICEF Indonesia. 2020. Available from: [Website]

Coloroso B. The bully, the bullied, and the bystander: from preschool to high school–how parents and teachers can help break the cycle. Updated ed. New York: HarperCollins; 2010. Available from: [Website]

Zakiyah EZ, Humaedi S, Santoso MB. Faktor yang mempengaruhi remaja dalam melakukan bullying. Prosiding Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat. 2017;4(2):324–30.

Ilham R, Hunawa RD, Hunta FI. Kejadian bullying pada remaja dan faktor yang berhubungan. Jambura Nursing Journal. 2021;3(1):39–48.

Turner MG, Exum ML, Brame R, Holt TJ. Bullying victimization and adolescent mental health: General and typological effects across sex. Journal of Criminal Justice. 2013;41(1):53–9.

Källmén H, Hallgren M. Bullying at school and mental health problems among adolescents: a repeated cross-sectional study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health. 2021;15(1):74.

Jayani DH. PISA: Murid korban ‘bully’ di Indonesia tertinggi kelima di dunia. databooks. 2019. Available from: [Website]

Efendi F. Memahami fenomena “bullying” di kalangan remaja Indonesia. Unair News. 2019. Available from: [Website]

Soerachman R. Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) Indonesia. Jakarta: National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health Republic of Indonesia; 2007.

Moore SE, Norman RE, Suetani S, Thomas HJ, Sly PD, Scott JG. Consequences of bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence: A systematic review and meta-analysis. World Journal of Psychiatry. 2017;7(1):60–76.

Halliday S, Gregory T, Taylor A, Digenis C, Turnbull D. The impact of bullying victimization in early adolescence on subsequent psychosocial and academic outcomes across the adolescent period: a systematic review. Journal of School Violence. 2021; 20(3):351–73.

Arseneault L. The long-term impact of bullying victimization on mental health. World Psychiatry. 2017;16(1):27–8.

Salmivalli C, Lagerspetz K, Björkqvist K, Österman K, Kaukiainen A. Bullying as a group process: Participant roles and their relations to social status within the group. Aggressive Behavior. 1996;22(1): 1–15.

Salmivalli C. Bullying and the peer group: A review. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 2010;15(2):112–20.

Thornberg R, Tenenbaum L, Varjas K, Meyers J, Jungert T, Vanegas G. Bystander motivation in bullying incidents: To intervene or not to intervene?. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2012;13(3): 247–52.

Polanin JR, Espelage DL, Pigott TD. A meta-analysis of school-based bullying prevention programs’ effects on bystander intervention behavior. School Psychology Review. 2012;41(1):47–65.

Gaffney H, Ttofi MM, Farrington DP. Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying perpetration and victimization: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Campbell Systematic Reviews. 2021;17(2):e1143.

Kärnä A, Voeten M, Little TD, Poskiparta E, Kaljonen A, Salmivalli C. A large-scale evaluation of the KiVa antibullying program: grades 4–6. Child Development. 2011;82(1):311–30.

Sulistiowati NM, Wulansari IGAN, Swedarma KE, Purnama AP, Kresnayanti NP. Gambaran perilaku bullying dan perilaku mencari bantuan remaja SMP di Kota Denpasar. Jurnal Ilmu Keperawatan Jiwa. 2022;5(1):47–52.

Prijadi EA, Aryani P, Putri WCWS, Yuliyatni PCD. Hubungan usia, kelas, jenis kelamin, jenis SD, pola asuh orang tua, dan perilaku bermain game online yang mengandung kekerasan dengan perilaku bullying victimization pada anak-anak sekolah dasar di Denpasar. E-Jurnal Medika Udayana. 2024; 13(10):24.

Olweus D. The revised olweus bully/victim questionnaire 1996. Hazelden Publishing. Mimeo. Bergen, Norway; 2007. Available from: [Website]

Yusuf A, Habibie AN, Efendi F, Kurnia ID, Kurniati A. Prevalence and correlates of being bullied among adolescents in Indonesia: results from the 2015 Global School-based Student Health Survey. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health. 2019;34(1):10.1515/ijamh-2019-0064.

Wang J, Iannotti RJ, Luk JW, Nansel TR. Co-occurrence of victimization from five subtypes of bullying: physical, verbal, social exclusion, spreading rumors, and cyber. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2010;35(10):1103–12.

Casper DM, Card NA, Barlow C. Relational aggression and victimization during adolescence: A meta-analytic review of unique associations with popularity, peer acceptance, rejection, and friendship characteristics. Journal of Adolescence. 2020;80:41–52.

Darley JM, Latané B. Bystander intervention in emergencies: diffusion of responsibility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1968;8(4):377–83.

Bandura A. Social learning theory. New York: General Learning Press; 1971. Available from: [Website]

Ajzen I. The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 1991;50:179–211.

Brehmer M. Perceived moral norms in an extended theory of planned behavior in predicting university students’ bystander intentions toward relational bullying. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education. 2023;13(7): 1202–18.

Tsang SKM, Hui EKP, Law BCM. Bystander position taking in school bullying: the role of positive identity, self-efficacy, and self-determination. ScientificWorldJournal. 2011;11:2278–86.

Bronfenbrenner U. The ecology of human development. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England: Harvard University Press; 1979. Available from: [Website]

de Bruyn EH, Cillessen AHN, Wissink IB. Associations of peer acceptance and perceived popularity with bullying and victimization in early adolescence. Journal of Early Adolescence. 2010; 30(4):543–66.

Handayani BV, Sutajaya IM, Suja IW, Astawa IBM. Membangun keseimbangan global dengan implementasi Tri Hita Karana untuk keberlanjutan sosial, ekologis, dan budaya. Empiricism Journal. 2024;5(2):519–34.

Wijaya MH, Artajaya IWE. Tri Hita Karana in Balinese customary law as a basis for the settlement of the village boundary conflict in Bali. Sociological Jurisprudence Journal. 2020;3(1):59–64.

Ttofi MM, Farrington DP. Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying: A systematic and meta-analytic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology. 2011;7(1):27–56.

Chu X, Chen Z. The associations between parenting and bullying among children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 2025;54(4):928–54.

Grama DI, Georgescu RD, Coşa IM, Dobrean A. Parental risk and protective factors associated with bullying victimization in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review. 2024;27(3): 627–57.

Febianingsih NPE, Muryani NMS. Authoritarian parenting and bullying behavior in adolescents in Bali. Babali Nursing Research. 2023;4(2):195–202.