# When healthy classrooms hurt: how reduced bullying isolates victimized youth through altered friendship and status dynamics

## TL;DR

In classrooms with less bullying, victimized students often face worse social outcomes like fewer friendships and more rejection.

## Contribution

This study reveals how classroom-level bullying norms affect the social dynamics of victimized youth.

## Key findings

- Victimized students in low-bullying classrooms reported fewer mutual friendships.
- These students also experienced lower acceptance and higher rejection from peers.
- Classroom norms significantly influence the social outcomes of victimized youth.

## Abstract

The healthy context paradox—the phenomenon that victimized youths show poorer adjustment in classrooms with lower levels of bullying—has been documented primarily for psychological outcomes but remains less explored with respect to peer social dynamics. The present study examined whether this pattern is also observable in victims’ peer acceptance, and rejection beyond their friendship network. Using sociometric data from 915 Hungarian students (aged 11–18) across 40 classrooms, we estimated multilevel models to test whether classroom-level victimization norms were associated with variation in the relationship between individual victimization and social outcomes. Results indicated that victimized students in classrooms characterized by lower victimization norms reported fewer mutual friendships, lower acceptance, and higher rejection compared to victimized students in classrooms with higher victimization norms. These findings suggest that associations between victimization and peer social standing differ systematically across classroom contexts. The study highlights the importance of considering classroom-level nomination patterns when interpreting sociometric indicators and discusses implications for research on peer relations in low-bullying environments.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-026-04141-0.