Does Empathy Predict Bullying, or Does Bullying Predict Empathy? A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies

Despite widespread recognition that empathy is implicated in bullying among children and adolescents, there remains a critical lack of consensus on the longitudinal, bidirectional nature of their relationship, as well as the demographic and methodological factors that may moderate these associations. This study conducted a meta-analysis of existing longitudinal evidence to explore the bidirectional relationships between empathy and bullying perpetration/victimization and investigate the moderation effects of demographic and design factors to identify sources of study heterogeneity. Through searches of four global databases and four Chinese databases, followed by title/abstract screening and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, the present meta-analysis included 23 studies with a total of 21296 participants (52.6% female; M_age = 13.2 years). Results indicated that empathy negatively predicted subsequent bullying perpetration, and bullying perpetration negatively predicted subsequent empathy. However, results failed to demonstrate either the predictive effect of empathy on bullying victimization or that of bullying victimization on empathy. Further analysis showed that the relationship between earlier experiences of bullying victimization and subsequent levels of empathy demonstrated a greater effect size in females. Compared to longer time lags, the predictive effect of empathy on bullying victimization was stronger in shorter time lags. A stronger correlation was found between earlier bullying perpetration and later empathy when using the Basic Empathy Scale to measure empathy. Overall, these findings clarify the specific reciprocal processes between empathy and bullying perpetration and illustrate the importance of accounting for demographic and methodological factors, thus guiding more targeted research and interventions in the field of bullying among youth.