# Development and Validation of the Adolescent Bystander Intervention Barrier Perception Scale in School Bullying

## TL;DR

This study created a scale to measure why teenagers don't intervene in school bullying, finding it relates to fear and uncertainty about outcomes.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the development and validation of the ABIBPS scale for measuring bystander intervention barriers in school bullying.

## Key findings

- The ABIBPS has a two-factor structure: Personal Risk and Fear Perception, and Intervention Efficacy and Outcome Uncertainty.
- The scale is reliable and valid across different age groups of students.
- Higher barrier perceptions correlate negatively with prosocial behavior and self-esteem.

## Abstract

Based on the theoretical framework of psychological barriers among third-party bystanders in school bullying contexts, grounded in Protection Motivation Theory and Ecological Systems Theory, this study developed and validated the “Adolescent Bystander Intervention Barrier Perception Scale” (ABIBPS). The initial item pool was developed through literature review and semi-structured interviews, followed by item analysis, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses across three samples (middle school students, N = 388; middle school students, N = 474; upper elementary school students, N = 547). Results revealed a robust two-factor structure comprising “Personal Risk and Fear Perception” and “Intervention Efficacy and Outcome Uncertainty.” The scale demonstrated measurement invariance across different age groups, good internal consistency reliability, structural validity, and criterion-related validity. Correlation analyses indicated that adolescent bystander intervention barrier perceptions were significantly negatively associated with prosocial behavior, positive youth development, intentional self-regulation, and self-esteem. This study provides a valid measurement tool for understanding the psychological barrier mechanisms of bystander behavior in school bullying, offering significant theoretical and practical implications for promoting active intervention behaviors among adolescents.