sus ainabili y
A icle
School Bullying: Empa hy among Pe pe a o s and Vic ims
Ca los Sala e a 1,2 , Pablo Usán1,2,* , Pila Te uel 1,2, E a U bón1,2 and Vic o Mu illo 3


Ci a ion: Sala e a, C.; Usán, P.;
Te uel, P.; U bón, E.; Mu illo, V.
School Bullying: Empa hy among
Pe pe a o s and Vic ims.
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 1548.
h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/su13031548
Recei ed: 8 Decembe 2020
Accep ed: 25 Janua y 2021
Published: 2 Feb ua y 2021
Publishe ’s No e: MDPI s ays neu al
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Copy igh : © 2021 by he au ho s.
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1Resea ch G oup OPIICS, Uni e si y o Za agoza, 50009 Za agoza, Spain; sala e a@uniza .es (C.S.);
p e uel@uniza .es (P.T.); eu bon@uniza .es (E.U.)
2Facul y o Educa ion, Uni e si y o Za agoza, 50009 Za agoza, Spain
3Facul y o Heal h and Spo s Sciences, Uni e si y o Za agoza, 22002 Huesca, Spain; mu illo@uniza .es
*Co espondence: pusan@uniza .es
Abs ac :
This s udy analyses he ela ionship be ween empa hy and school bullying, aking bo h
pe pe a o s and ic ims in o conside a ion. The s udy sample comp ised 840 s uden s, 423 o
which we e emale (50.36%), aged an a e age o 14.28 yea s. The ins umen s used we e an ad
hoc ques ionnai e o socioeconomic a iables and bullying beha iou , an empa hy ques ionnai e,
and a pe sonali y ques ionnai e. Vic ims yielded highe sco es in e ms o empa hic conce n, while
bo h g oups, agg esso s and ic ims, yielded simila esul s in e ms o cogni i e and a ec i e
empa hy. Conce ning he co ela ion be ween hese a iables and pe sonali y, anxie y was ound o
be co ela ed wi h a ec i e empa hy and empa he ic conce n in bo h g oups. A co ela ion be ween
cogni i e empa hy and impulsi eness and ac i i y was also ound in bo h g oups. Rema kably,
agg ession and cogni i e empa hy we e ound o be co ela ed, bu only among ic ims. Finally,
expe iences wi h classma es, anxie y, since i y, and agg ession we e ound o ac as p edic o s
o school bullying, while gende and agg ession ac o s we e ound o ac as p edic o s among
pe pe a o s, bu o a lesse ex en , which sugges s ha o he ac o s mus be in place o bullying
beha iou o occu . The esul s sugges ha , al hough empa hy le els a e di e en in bo h g oups,
hey canno ac as a p edic o o bullying, especially conce ning pe pe a o s.
Keywo ds: empa hy; assessmen ; pe pe a o s; ic ims; school bullying
1. A ec i e Empa hy, Cogni i e Empa hy, and Empa hic Conce n
Empa hy is he abili y o unde s and o he people’s minds, o eel emo ions o he han
ou own, and o espond o hem wi h conce n and ca e o o he people’s su e ing. I
has commonly been de ined as he abili y o unde s and ano he pe son’s eelings [
1
,
2
].
Empa hy comp ises wo di e en bu in e ela ed ac o s: a ec i e empa hy ( he abili y
o unde s and o he people’s emo ions) and cogni i e empa hy (a good unde s anding
o o he people’s emo ional s a es) [
1
]. Du ing in ancy, low empa hy is ela ed o poo
ela ionships wi h pee s, hos ili y, and in imida ion [
3
,
4
]. Du ing adolescence, low empa hy
leads o agg ession and an i-social beha iou [
5
,
6
]. In adul hood, low empa hy leads o
child abuse, iolence, and psychopa hy. High empa hy is ela ed o social skills, p oblem-
sol ing, and p osocial beha iou ; bo h among child en and adul s, empa he ic people a e
mo e likely o sha e esou ces, help hose in need, and ca e o o he s [7].
Empa hy plays a cen al ole in he de elopmen o social beha iou . Ini ially, empa hy
was concep ualised om an a ec i e pe spec i e, and was ega ded as a ica ious emo-
ional esponse o o he s’ emo ions. A e wa ds, i became clea ha his one-dimensional
pe spec i e o empa hy e oneously neglec ed he ole played by cogni ion. Cu en ly,
empa hy is conside ed a mul i-dimensional concep , wi h bo h a ec i e and cogni i e
dimensions [8].
Based on he de ini ion abo e, we mus dis inguish be ween h ee di e en kinds
o empa hy: (1) Cogni i e empa hy, which is adop ing he poin o iew o o he s and
unde s anding hei si ua ion, emo ions, and eelings. I in ol es pu ing onesel men ally
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 1548. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/su13031548 h ps://www.mdpi.com/jou nal/sus ainabili y
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 1548 2 o 9
in he place o o he people wi hou judging hem om ou own poin o iew. Fo
ins ance, a s uden unde s ands ha one o hei pee s d esses di e en ly o has a di e en
hai s yle; (2) Emo ional empa hy, which is eeling wha o he people eel, and he e o e
unde s anding hei emo ions. Fo ins ance, a s uden ells hei classma es abou eeling
lonely in class, and he es end up c ying in esponse o hei classma e’s su e ing; and (3)
Empa hic conce n, which is spon aneously o e ing help o hose who a e pe cei ed o be
in need. Fo ins ance, a s uden spon aneously o e s o help an isola ed classma e [9].
Resea ch has shown ha indi iduals wi h high le els o empa hy a e mo e p one o
p osocial beha iou and al uism [
10
–
12
], whe eas indi iduals wi h low empa hy le els
a e mo e agg essi e [13–15].
2. School Bullying
School bullying, also known as pee iolence, is a o m o ecu en and delibe a e
agg ession by one o mo e pe pe a o s agains a de enceless ic im [16,17].
In a ecen WHO-led s udy wi h 219,460 s uden s om 42 coun ies, 11% o pa ic-
ipan s epo ed ha ing been ic ims o school bullying a leas ou o six imes du ing
he wo mon hs p io o he su ey, and 8.5% ha ing aken pa as pe pe a o s [
18
,
19
].
Bullying poses a high isk o he psychosocial de elopmen and academic pe o mance
o bo h pe pe a o s and ic ims [
20
–
22
], e en among e y young child en [
23
]. Some
s udies include wi nesses o bullying among hose who a e nega i ely a ec ed by his
beha iou [24,25].
The basic cha ac e is ics o school bullying a e as ollows [
26
]: (1) a ic im is ha assed
by one o se e al agg esso s, who ha e ha m ul in en ions; (2) he e is a powe unbalance,
physical o psychological, be ween ic im and agg esso ; (3) agg ession is ecu en ; and
(4) he a ge is gene ally a single s uden . The e a e ou basic o ms o school bullying:
(1) physical: di ec o indi ec agg essi e beha iou ; (2) e bal: nega i e e bal beha iou ;
(3) social: isola ing p ac ices; and (4) psychological: insul s, humilia ions, unde mining o
sel -es eem, and eelings o de encelessness. School bullying poses a isk o he pe sonal,
social, and academic de elopmen o bo h ic ims and agg esso s. Bullying, a om
dec easing, is on he inc ease, and is one o he main ac o s in school ailu e and d opou .
Un o una ely, Spain is among he highes -sco ing coun ies in hese wo a iables.
3. Empa hy and School Bullying
T adi ional s e eo ypes de ine school bullies as anxious, insecu e, academically medioc e
s uden s who a e p one o eso o iolence o sol e con lic s, and canno adequa ely p o-
cess social in o ma ion and sol e social p oblems [27].
They ha e also been de ined as socially compe en , highly empa he ic indi iduals
who a e capable o unde s anding he s a e o mind o hei pee s [
28
]. Howe e , hey
s uggle o assess he emo ional consequences ha hei beha iou has on o he s, as well
as o unde s and o he people’s emo ions, and o sha e and empa hise wi h o he s [
29
,
30
].
The di e en ac o s in ol ed in school bullying lead o a ious emo ional and be-
ha iou al p oblems. Bullies show highe obacco and alcohol consump ion a es, and a e
mo e p one o indulge in high- isk beha iou s [
31
], as well as o anxie y and beha iou al
p oblems [32]. Vic ims a e mo e p one o anxie y and dep ession [33].
Despi e he low le els o empa hy de ec ed among agg esso s, he capaci y o empa-
he ic esponse among hese child en has been paid li le a en ion o da e. Some s udies
ha e ound a weak co ela ion be ween empa hy and bullying, while o he s udies ha e
a gued ha p osocial child en we e mo e empa hic han agg esso s, wi h no signi ican
di e ences being ound be ween ic ims and a e age s uden s in e ms o empa hy [34].
Many s udies ha e analysed school bullying and empa hy in di e en educa ional
ie s, bu he causal ole ha empa hy plays in school bullying has been paid less a en ion.
A p io i, empa hy plays a key ole in socialisa ion and in e pe sonal ela ionships [
35
].
Empa hy con ibu es o p osocial beha iou [
36
,
37
], while low empa hy is ela ed o con-
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 1548 3 o 9
lic i e beha iou such as agg ession [
38
,
39
]. Howe e , a ecen me a-analysis [
40
] eached
he su p ising conclusion ha empa hy and agg ession we e only weakly co ela ed.
Associa ions be ween empa hy and bullying ha e been epo ed. Howe e , comp e-
hensi e analysis o he ela ionships be ween empa hy and he agg esso s and ic ims o
such bullying is s ill lacking.
The main aim o his s udy was o assess empa hy among pe pe a o s and ic ims.
An exis ing gap in ou knowledge which we aimed o co e conce ns possible di e ences
in empa hy among agg esso s and ic ims. In line wi h he heo e ical backg ound ou lined
abo e, he main hypo hesis is ha ic ims will show highe empa hy le els han agg esso s
in all h ee dimensions: a ec i e empa hy, cogni i e empa hy, and empa he ic conce n.
Ou second aim was o ind p edic o s o school bullying, om he poin o iew o
bo h agg esso s and ic ims.
4. Me hod
Pa icipan s
The s udy sample comp ised 840 subjec s, 417 male (49.64%) and 423 emale (50.36%),
om six public seconda y schools. The cen es we e selec ed by con enience sampling.
The a e age age o pa icipan s was 14.28 yea s, anging om 12 o 16, wi h a s anda d
de ia ion o 1.426. One inclusion c i e ion was he abili y o ead and communica e in
pe ec Spanish in o de o ensu e ha he ques ionnai e was pe ec ly unde s ood and
comple ed. Exclusion c i e ia included incomple e ques ionnai es. In addi ion, s uden s
wi h cogni i e diso de s we e excluded om he s udy. Pa icipa ion was olun a y. All
esponden s we e olun ee s, and pa en s and child en signed an in o med consen o m.
Ques ionnai es we e dis ibu ed in class in he p esence o he p incipal in es iga o . The
ques ionnai es we e collec ed indi idually as he s uden s inished hem, and e iewed o
check o e o s and o ensu e ha no ques ions we e le unanswe ed.
The e hical guidelines o he Decla a ion o Helsinki and all e hical c i e ia o esea ch
wi h humans we e me . The con idence le el was 95% and he sampling e o 5%. I was
hus concluded ha he su ey was ep esen a i e o he p o ince o Za agoza (Spain). The
su ey was designed as a la e al s udy based on na u al g oups, because he g oups we e
cons i u ed by s able independen a iables, wi hou majo cul u al di e ences. Indi idual
di e ences we e compa ed, and dependen and independen a iables eco ded [41].
5. P o ocol
The schools we e con ac ed by phone and hose ha ag eed o ake pa in he s udy
we e en e ed in o a lis . While handing ou ques ionnai es, he aim o he su ey was
explained o pa icipan s and he impo ance ha all ques ions be answe ed was s essed.
Pa icipan s had 45 min o ill ou he ques ionnai e and he in o med consen o m. The
esea ch p o ocol was endo sed by he OPIICS esea ch g oup (S46_20R), Psychology and
Sociology Depa men , Uni e sidad de Za agoza. They we e eminded ha all in o ma ion
collec ed was o be ea ed anonymously and con iden ially. Pa en s and/o gua dians also
signed an in o med consen o m. The da a was collec ed in Oc obe and No embe 2019.
6. Ins umen s
Bullying ques ionnai e [42].
The ins umen used o compile in o ma ion was an ad hoc ques ionnai e, which
enabled us o pu all pa icipan s a he same psychological le el and abula e answe s o
compa ison [43].
The ques ionnai e was designed o ake in o conside a ion ou gene al c i e ia and
objec i es. The main idea was o include ques ions ela ed o agg ession om he poin o
iew o pe pe a o s, ic ims, and wi nesses, while allowing us o de ec ce ain ac o s
ha , acco ding o he exis ing li e a u e, can help o explain ce ain beha iou s. This
called o he inclusion o ac o s ha ha e no been aken in o conside a ion in p e ious
ques ionnai es.
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 1548 4 o 9
The inal ques ionnai e was di ided in o wo sec ions: he i s sec ion compiled
gene al in o ma ion (age, gende , na ionali y, e c.) and he second sec ion eco ded bullying-
ela ed in o ma ion.
Adolescen Measu e o Empa hy and Sympa hy (AMES) [9], ansla ed in o Spanish [44].
This is a 12-i em scale di ided in o h ee dimensions (cogni i e empa hy, a ec i e
empa hy, and empa he ic conce n), wi h ou i ems each. Pa icipan s mus ead a s a e-
men and exp ess hei deg ee o ag eemen wi h each elemen on a 5-poin Like scale: (1)
s ongly disag ee, (2) disag ee, (3) neu al, (4) ag ee, and (5) s ongly ag ee. C onbach
α
co-
e icien s (cogni i e empa hy = 0.786; a ec i e empa hy = 0.744;
empa hic conce n = 0.750;
o al = 0.872) we e mode a ely high, which indica es good in e nal consis ency in he
ques ionnai e.
BFQ-NA pe sonali y ques ionnai e [45], ansla ed in o Spanish [46].
This ques ionnai e, also known as he Big Fi e Ques ionnai e o Child en, is an adap-
a ion o he classic Big Fi e Ques ionnai e o adul s. The ques ionnai e’s i e dimensions
a e: conscience (au onomy, o de , p ecision, ule-abiding, and commi men )
α= 0.81;
open-
ness (in ellec ual aspec s, c ea i i y, and cul u al in e es s)
α
= 0.76; ex a e sion (ac i i y,
en husiasm, asse i eness, and sel -con idence)
α
= 0.73; kindness (conce n and sensi i i y
owa ds o he s and hei needs)
α
= 0.85; and emo ional ins abili y (anxie y, dep ession,
discon en edness, and ange )
α
= 0.81. The subjec mus espond o 65 i ems on a 5-poin
Like scale (1–5). The ques ionnai e yielded a good eliabili y sco e (α= 0.84).
7. Da a Analysis
Desc ip i e s a is ics we e used o ou line he socio-demog aphic p o ile o he da a
and he a ious a iables unde s udy. Co ela ions among empa hy, pe sonali y, and bul-
lying a iables we e calcula ed p io o being p ocessed and analysed wi h SPSS S a is ical
Package e .26.0 so wa e (IBM, A monk, NY, USA). A e pe o ming no mal dis ibu ion
and equali y o a iances es s, we decided o use pa ame ic echniques. Each a iable
was subjec o desc ip i e analysis. In all cases, we used he lowes signi icance le el possi-
ble. Bila e al es s we e pe o med. Fo wo-g oup hypo hesis es ing, we used S uden ’s
-dis ibu ion. C onbach’s
α
was calcula ed o es he eliabili y o he es . Finally, pe pe-
a o / ic im p edic o equa ions we e es ablished acco ding o he emaining a iables,
h ough logis ic eg ession using he s epwise me hod ( o wa d pa h), based on Wald’s
s a is ics. Fo wa d s epwise selec ion begins wi h a model con aining no p edic o s, and
hen adds p edic o s o he model, one a a ime, un il all o he p edic o s a e in he model.
In pa icula , a each s ep, he a iable ha gi es he g ea es addi ional imp o emen o
he i is added o he model.
8. Resul s
A o al o 23.96% (N = 168; 72 male and 94 emale) o pa icipan s admi ed o ha ing
bullied hei pee s, while 39.23% (N = 275; 123 male and 152 emale) iden i ied hemsel es
as ic ims o bullying. These da a we e used o c ea e wo s udy g oups: ic ims (
N = 275
)
and agg esso s (N = 168). Vic ims sco ed highe in all h ee empa hic dimensions (cog-
ni i e empa hy, a ec i e empa hy, and empa hic conce n) in he empa hy ques ionnai e
Table 1Mino di e ences in e ec size (Cohen’s d) we e ound in he ac o measu ing
empa hic conce n.
Table 1. Desc ip o s in he empa hy ques ionnai e.
Fac o s M (ds) Vic ims M (ds) Agg esso s Cohen’s d
A ec i e empa hy 13.92 (2.48) 13.65 (2.59) 0.10
Cogni i e empa hy 11.48 (3.42) 11.13 (3.10) 0.05
Empa hic conce n 16.54 (2.78) 15.84 (2.90) 0.24
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 1548 5 o 9
In addi ion, co ela ions be ween he empa hy ques ionnai e and he BFQ-NA pe son-
ali y ques ionnai e Table 2we e calcula ed. The dimensions o he empa hy ques ionnai e
p esen ed signi ican co ela ions wi h he o he ins umen s.
Table 2. Co ela ions wi h pe sonali y ac o s (BFQ-NA).
Vic ims Agg esso s
Cogni i e
empa hy
A ec i e
empa hy
Empa hic
conce n
Cogni i e
empa hy
A ec i e
empa hy
Empa hic
conce n
Anxie y −0.085 −
0.287 **
−0.322 ** −0.084 −0.237 ** −
0.244 **
Impulsi eness −0.137 * −0.098 −0.082 −0.185 ** −0.045 −0.055
Ac i i y −0.183 ** −0.088 −0.012 −0.192 ** −0.087 −0.002
Since i y −0.084 −0.108 0.022 −0.119 −0.064 0.005
Agg ession −0.145 * −0.106 −0.065 −0.089 −0.060 0.040
No e: * p> 0.01, ** p> 0.001.
Finally, p edic o s o bo h ic ims and agg esso s we e calcula ed Table 3. This
was ca ied ou h ough a linea eg ession using he ollowing ac o s: gende , empa hy,
pe sonali y and expe ience wi h classma es, eache s, and school.
Table 3. P edic o ac o s o ic ims and agg esso s.
Vic ims Agg esso s
B (ET) p-Value B (ET) p-Value
Gende 21.63 (3.21) 1.796 0.073 21.53 (2.64) 4.813 <0.001
School expe ience 0.68 (0.38) −1.726 0.085 1.48 (0.31) 0.629 0.529
Classma e
expe ience
−0.83 (0.48) −6.683 <0.001 0.24 (0.38) −0.564 0.573
Teache s
expe ience
−2.98 (0.45) −0.61 0.542 −0.21 (0.37) −1.319 0.188
Empa hy −0.27 (0.44) 1.561 0.119 −0.48 (0.36) −0.902 0.368
Anxie y 0.49 (0.05) −2.429 0.015 0.15 (0.04) −0.25 0.803
Impulsi eness −0.17 (0.07) 0.437 0.662 −0.01 (0.06) −0.883 0.378
Ac i i y 0.04 (0.08) −1.515 0.13 −0.06 (0.07) 0.421 0.674
Since i y −0.09 (0.06) 3.715 <0.001 0.02 (0.05) 1.031 0.303
Agg ession 0.28 (0.08) −2.271 0.024 0.06 (0.06) −4.869 < 0.001
R2(%) 45.7 10.9
Model F(11.701) = 44.636; p< 0.001 F(11.701) = 7.394; p< 0.001
No e. B: Be a coe icien equal; E.T.: E o es ima e R2: R squa e; : - alue; p-Value: Signi ica ion.
A mul iple eg ession was unde aken, aking gende , empa hy, pe sonali y, and
expe ience wi h classma es, eache s, and he school as p edic o ac o s, and becoming a
ic im o an agg esso as c i e ion a iables. Table 3illus a es he esul s a e en e ing he
explica i e a iables, which we e a signi ican ac o in he p edic ion.
Conce ning ic ims, p edic o s ou lined we e expe ience wi h classma es, anxie y,
since i y, and agg ession ac o s, which accoun o a signi ican pe cen age o he a i-
ance (
R2= 45.7
in model F(11.701) = 44.636 ***). Rega ding agg esso s, gende , and ag-
g ession ac o s we e ou lined as p edic o s, bu less empha ically (R
2
= 10.9, in model
F(11.701) = 7.394 ***).
9. Discussion
The i s aim o his s udy was o assess empa hy in school bullies and ic ims o
school bullying. The second aim was o de ine ac o s o p edic bullying om he poin o
iew o bo h ic ims and agg esso s.
A o al o 24% o pa icipan s admi ed o ha ing bullied hei classma es, while 39%
cha ac e ised hemsel es as ic ims o his abuse. Conce ning empa hy in ic ims and

Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 1548 6 o 9
agg esso s, he s udy ound no signi ican di e ences in e ms o a ec i e empa hy and
cogni i e empa hy. Howe e , small di e ences we e a es ed wi h ega d o empa hic
conce n, which, le us emembe , is de ined as a pe son’s abili y o de ec when someone is
in need, and o lend aid spon aneously and uncondi ionally. P e ious s udies epo ed ha
ic ims o bullying we e mo e p one o show highe le els o empa hic and cogni i e em-
pa hy [
4
,
47
,
48
], bu less a en ion had hi he o been paid o empa hic conce n. The esul s
sugges ha ic ims show highe le els o empa hic conce n, pe haps as an indica ion o
he help hey would like o ecei e om hei classma es [49].
Simila ly, he co ela ions wi h pe sonali y- ela ed da a yielded simila esul s o bo h
g oups, excep wi h ega d o agg ession. I can be concluded ha anxie y p esen s a weak
nega i e co ela ion wi h he ac o s used o measu e a ec i e empa hy and empa hic
conce n, sugges ing ha highe anxie y le els lead o less a ec i e empa hy and empa hic
conce n, in line wi h ecen s udies [
9
,
50
]. On he o he hand, impulsi eness and ac i i y
ac o s also p esen a nega i e co ela ion wi h cogni i e empa hy in bo h g oups. Finally,
agg ession also p esen s a nega i e co ela ion wi h cogni i e empa hy, bu only among
ic ims, which sugges s ha low agg ession le els led o g ea e cogni i e empa hy. This
may be explained by he ac ha empa hy plays a key ole in he way people deal wi h
hei emo ions, which can also be a ec ed by capaci y, mo i a ion, and con ex [36,51,52].
The analysis o he ac o s de ined as p edic o s o bullying ( om bo h he agg esso ’s
and he ic im’s iewpoin s) e ealed ha a nega i e expe ience wi h classma es and
pe sonali y, anxie y, since i y, and agg ession ac o s inc ease he likelihood o becoming
a ic im by 45.7%. Con e sely, gende (male) and agg ession we e ou lined in 10.9% as
p edic o s o s uden s becoming school bullies, as poin ed ou by p e ious s udies [
53
]; i
can be a gued ha he g ea e empa hy de ec ed among women ac s as a ba ie agains
hese beha iou s [
54
]. Al hough ou esul s ha e ou lined p edic o ac o s o agg esso s,
hey also sugges ha o he ac o s no aken in o conside a ion help o u n s uden s in o
bullies. This sugges s an in e es ing esea ch a enue o he u u e.
These esul s mus be iewed in he ligh o he s udy’s limi a ions. Al hough he
sample is s a is ically ele an , i should be expanded o o he social g oups, among
which he co ela ions be ween empa hy and o he cons uc s may be s onge . We should
unde ake longi udinal s udies o assess empa hy o e a longe ime pe iod. In addi ion,
empa hy equi es o he abili ies, o example in he ealm o cogni ion, and his ela ionship
should be explo ed. The e is also oom o imp o emen conce ning he ques ionnai e.
Finally, his esea ch p esen s a ious limi a ions: (1) he s udy is la e al, so no causal
ela ionships can be in e ed; and (2) da a we e based on sel - epo ing, which may in o-
duce a ac o o bias. Fu u e esea ch should explo e hese cons uc s mo e ho oughly
wi h la ge samples and also ocus on special needs adolescen popula ions, o example
s uden s wi h anxie y and au ism wi h di e en empa hy p o iles.
This so o s udy can and should ake in o conside a ion o he cons uc s such as
a ec s, sense o humou , emo ional in elligence, and social skills, all o which could be
ela ed o empa hy and school bullying. The ela ionship o hese cons uc s and school
bullying should be explo ed; p e ious s udies ha e ocused on obse ed empa hy le els
and school bullying, and no in he way hey ela e o o he ac o s.
10. Conclusions
The esul o ou s udy is a be e unde s anding o empa hy be ween ic ims and
pe pe a o s o bullying, wi h di ec implica ions o he school and he school sys em.
Ou esul s ha e di ec implica ions o educa ional s a egies. Teache s and o he
membe s o he school communi y should wo k on empa hy wi h young people om an
ea ly age, in o de o help s uden s and educe bullying in he class oom. This can also help
p e en poo academic pe o mance and imp o e pe sonal and academic de elopmen .
P og ams led by educa ion and school p o essionals can help s uden s imp o e hei
school expe ience, con ibu ing o he comp ehensi e de elopmen o s uden s, p e en ing
bullying and d opping ou , and imp o ing hei academic pe o mance.
Sus ainabili y 2021,13, 1548 7 o 9
Ou esul s encou age us o con inue looking o new ques ions wi h which o de elop
new me hodologies and ind answe s wi h which o con ibu e o he posi i e social-
emo ional de elopmen o adolescen s.
Au ho Con ibu ions:
Concep ualisa ion: C.S., P.U., P.T., E.U. and V.M.; da a cu a ion, C.S., P.U.,
P.T., E.U. and V.M.; in es iga ion, C.S., P.U., P.T., E.U. and V.M.; me hodology, C.S., P.U., V.M. and
P.T.; supe ision, C.S., P.U., V.M. and P.T.; w i ing—o iginal d a , C.S., P.U., P.T., E.U. and V.M.;
w i ing— e iew and edi ing, C.S., P.U., P.T., E.U. and V.M. All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o he
published e sion o he manusc ip .
Funding:
This s udy was pe o med by Resea ch G oup OPIICS (S46_20R), Uni e si y o Za agoza
(Za agoza, Spain), and was suppo ed by esea ch unds p o ided by he Depa men o Science and
Technology o he Go e nmen o A agón (Spain) and he Eu opean Social Fund.
Ins i u ional Re iew Boa d S a emen :
The s udy was conduc ed acco ding o he guidelines o he
Decla a ion o Helsinki, and app o ed by he E hics Re iew Commi ee o OPIICS esea ch g oup
(S46_20R), Psychology and Sociology Depa men , Uni e sidad de Za agoza.
In o med Consen S a emen :
All esponden s we e olun ee s, and pa en s and child en signed an
in o med consen o m.
Da a A ailabili y S a emen :
The da a p esen ed in his s udy a e a ailable on eques om he
co esponding au ho .
Con lic s o In e es :
The au ho s decla e no con lic o in e es . The unde s had no ole in he design
o he s udy; in he collec ion, analysis, o in e p e a ion o da a; in he w i ing o he manusc ip ; o
in he decision o publish he esul s.
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