The dynamic interplay between social status and children’s bullying network: A longitudinal social network analysis

Bullying is not only an individual behavior, but also a dynamic network that emerges through the complex process of changing ties between bullies and victims. Longitudinal research on bullying network and social status was limited. This study aimed to examine the social status of four types of bullying roles and the dynamic interplay between social status and bullying network. The study involved 965 students (52.1 % boys) from 22 fourth- and fifth-grade classes in China, spanning the years 2020 and 2021. To construct bullying networks and gauge social status, participants completed peer nomination questionnaires. Multi-level model and stochastic actor-oriented model were used to construct binary and ternary network effects. The results showed that bystanders emerged with the highest social status, while those occupying the bully/victim role had the lowest. Concerning social acceptance status, the ego effect was not significant (Est = −0.08, p > 0.05), but the alter effect was significant (Est = −0.19, p < 0.05). That is, children with high social preference trended to decrease bullying ties, yet their victimization ties will not significantly change. For social preference status, the ego effect was significant (Est = −0.21, p < 0.05), while the alter effect was not significant (Est = −0.04, p > 0.05). That is, children with high social acceptance trended to decrease victimization ties, but their bullying ties remain relatively unchanged. This study contributes to our understanding of bullying as a group process and the associations with social status, and provides implications for preventing school bullying.