Sadly, bullying in schools is very common. Around one in three children report that they have experienced peer victimisation themselves (Unesco, 2018)1. Victimised children are at an increased risk of feeling anxious or depressed, potentially missing school and struggling with their classes, and can even experience mental health problems later in life (Arseneault et al., 2010)2. Bullies on the other hand might be more likely to struggle with behavioural problems and have a propensity for later substance abuse (Kaltiala-Heino et al., 2000)3.
Why empathy training is part of anti-bullying programmes
Because of the impact of bullying on all who are involved, many anti-bullying interventions have been designed to decrease its prevalence and negative impact (Gaffney et al., 2019)4. A common aspect of such interventions is empathy training, as empathy has been linked to increasing prosocial behaviour like helping (Reynolds & Scott, 1999)5.
Meanwhile, researchers are still investigating whether such efforts to raise empathy might be helpful for the children directly involved in bullying, as results have been mixed. Empathetic peers are more likely to defend their classmates (van Noorden et al., 2015)6 but what about the victims and bullies themselves?
Most studies which have attempted to answer this question have been cross-sectional and therefore unable to determine order of effects (are children with low empathy more likely to become bullies or does being a bully make you less empathetic?).
What our study looked at
Our study set out to answer how levels of cognitive and affective empathy (recognising how somebody is feeling versus experiencing another person’s emotions) could predict later involvement in bullying. We used survey data collected as part of the Stand Together Trial, an anti-bullying trial in the UK, to determine children’s baseline levels of empathy towards victims, and their bullying roles as victim, bully, or bully-victim one year later.
Using a statistical method called generalised propensity matching (Wu et al., 2018)7, we were able to simulate a randomised controlled trial using observational data, after matching participants on a score based on factors such as age, gender, emotional symptoms and bullying involvement at baseline.
Key findings: empathy cuts both ways
As we expected, children with high cognitive and affective empathy towards victims at baseline were less likely to become bullies one year later, suggesting that training empathy could perhaps deter children from bullying others.
However, a surprising finding was that those children with high levels of both cognitive and affective empathy were more likely to be victimised by their peers one year later.
An open question: why are empathetic children targeted?
We have identified a potential risk factor for victimisation, and an unexplained question which remains is why empathetic children might become targeted.
Future research should explore potential explanations for this link, including:
- Increased affect
- Threat perception
- Defending behaviours
What this means for parents, teachers and future interventions
Empathy is a wonderful characteristic which brings children many benefits in life, such as deep friendship, kindness and connection. However, our findings suggest that perhaps parents and teachers should consider extra strategies to help empathetic children remain safe and resilient whilst teaching their classmates to see their peers’ empathy as a strength, and not a weakness.
Importantly, future bullying interventions should not only teach empathy to reduce bullying but also help prevent victimisation of highly empathetic children by addressing classroom climate, behaviour strategies, and explore new venues suggested by future research.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cognitive and affective empathy?
Cognitive empathy means recognising how somebody is feeling, while affective empathy means actually experiencing another person’s emotions.
Can teaching empathy reduce bullying?
Our findings suggest it can: children with higher cognitive and affective empathy towards victims were less likely to become bullies one year later.
Why might empathetic children be bullied more?
This remains an open question. Highly empathetic children were more likely to be victimised one year later, and future research needs to explore explanations such as increased affect, threat perception or defending behaviours.
Where next?
Read the JCPP Advances paper Cognitive and affective empathy predict young children’s involvement in bullying one year later. Romanova, K., Leigh, E., Badger, J.R., Hastings, R.P., Clarkson, S., Broome, M.R., Hutchings, J. & Bowes, L. (2026).
References
1. Unesco (2018). New data reveal that one out of three teens is bullied worldwide. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/new-data-reveal-one-out-three-teens-bullied-worldwide
2. Arseneault, L., Bowes, L. & Shakoor, S. (2010). Bullying victimization in youths and mental health problems: ‘Much ado about nothing’? Psychological Medicine. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19785920/
3. Gaffney, H., Ttofi, M.M. & Farrington, D.P. (2019). Evaluating the effectiveness of school-bullying prevention programs: An updated meta-analytical review. Aggression and Violent Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2018.07.001
4. Kaltiala-Heino, R., Rimpelä, M., Rantanen, P. & Rimpelä, A. (2000). Bullying at school – an indicator of adolescents at risk for mental disorders. Journal of Adolescence. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11161331/
5. Reynolds, W.J. & Scott, B. (1999). Empathy: a crucial component of the helping relationship. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10827644/
6. van Noorden, T.H.J., Haselager, G.J.T., Cillessen, A.H.N. & Bukowski, W.M. (2015). Empathy and involvement in bullying in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24894581/
7. Wu, X., Mealli, F., Kioumourtzoglou, M.A., Dominici, F. & Braun, D. (2018). Matching on Generalized Propensity Scores with Continuous Exposures. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.06575
8. Stand Together Trial (ISRCTN12300853): A multicentre cluster randomised-controlled trial evaluating KiVa to reduce bullying in UK primary schools. https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN12300853
