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Understanding Bystanders’ Reactions to Cyberbullying: An Approach From the Theory of Normative Social Behavior

Ana Alcántara-Lázaro,Rosario Del Rey,J. Casas,J. Mora-Merchán

Published 2026 in Youth & Society

ABSTRACT

Bystander responses are crucial to understanding cyberbullying dynamics, yet further research is needed to clarify which factors shape them. This study extends prior work based on the Theory of Normative Social Behavior (TNSB) by testing its explanatory power across defender, reinforcing, and passive profiles while incorporating mediators such as empathy, parental supervision, toxic online disinhibition, and need for popularity. Participants were 2,539 students aged 11 to 18 ( M age  = 14.07, SD  = 1.39) who completed self-report measures. Three structural equation models were estimated in Jamovi using the DWLS estimator, followed by multigroup analyses by gender. Results indicated that social norms (collective, descriptive, and injunctive) are explanatory factors of all three profiles, and mediators improved the theory’s explanatory capacity, with distinct patterns for each profile. Similar pathways were observed for boys and girls. Findings support TNSB’s relevance for understanding bystander responses and point to factors for school-based interventions aimed at reducing cyberbullying.

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