The indirect association between moral disengagement and bystander behaviors in school bullying through motivation: Structural equation modelling and mediation analysis

Abstract Guided by the social-cognitive theory and self-determination theory, this study examined whether moral disengagement is indirectly associated with pro-bullying, passive bystanding, defending, mediated autonomous motivation, introjected extrinsic amotivation to defend victims of bullying among early adolescents. Participants were 901 upper elementary students from 43 school classes at 15 public schools in Sweden who completed a questionnaire their classrooms. The results showed that less inclined morally disengage peer tended be more autonomously motivated take victim’s side, which turn was greater defending fewer pro-bullying behaviors. Introjected motivation negatively association between positively disengagement’s associations bystanding behavior. Extrinsic Finally, prone amotivated behavior defending.