The Bidirectional Relationship Between Bullying Perpetration/Victimization and Peer Relationships: Evidence From a Weekly Diary Method

ABSTRACT

While evidence indicates a connection between bullying involvement (perpetration and victimization) and peer relationships, the direction of this relationship remains debated. It is unclear whether peer relationships are a consequence or a precursor to bullying, and whether such association varies by gender. To address these gaps and capture fluctuations in daily school life, the present study employed a weekly diary method to examine the bidirectional relationships between bullying perpetration/victimization and peer relationships, as well as potential gender differences. A total of 452 adolescents (285 boys, M _age  = 12.90, SD _age  = 0.48) completed the 7‐week diary survey. Multilevel modelling revealed that weekly bullying/victimization significantly predicted subsequent decreases in peer relationships, while peer relationships did not predict later bullying or victimization, indicating a unidirectional pathway. Gender analyses showed that gender did not moderate these links but did differentiate bullying patterns: stratified analyses further revealed the unidirectional pathway only in boys, where verbal and relational perpetration/victimization predicted later declines in peer relationships. These findings not only theoretically expand our understanding of the dynamic interplay between bullying and peer relationships, unveiling unique cultural and social mechanisms of psychological bullying among boys, but also provide empirical evidence for developing targeted anti‐bullying interventions for adolescent boys.