OBSERVE, BLOCK, AND DEFEND: PERSONALITY, EMPATHY, AND BULLYING EXPERIENCES AMONG ROMANIAN ADOLESCENTS IN KEMPO TRAINING

Abstract

This longitudinal study examined how personality traits, empathic concern, and martial arts training (Kempo) may predict bullying involvement and bystander behavior among Romanian adolescents across offline and online contexts. A total of 182 adolescents (aged 11–16) completed self-report measures at two time points, eight weeks apart. At Time 1, neuroticism and empathic concern positively predicted offline and online victimization, while conscientiousness and openness to experience acted as protective factors. Extraversion, along with empathic concern, positively predicted active defending behaviors. However, at Time 2, none of the accounted variables predicted bullying victimization or defending. These findings highlight the need for ongoing, context-sensitive interventions and suggest that martial arts training may contribute to youth development when integrated with broader prosocial education.