Associations Among Executive Function, Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Bullying Behaviors in Adolescents

Thirty percent of youth report bullying as the perpetrator (13%), victim (10.6%), or both (6.3%). Factors related to bullying can serve as mediating targets for bullying prevention. Due to their putative relationships with behavioral control and emotion regulation, executive function (EF; neurocognitive skills necessary for conscious control of thought and emotion), mindfulness (sustained focus on and non-judgmental awareness of present moment experience), and self-compassion (realizing that failure and imperfection is part of one’s lived experience), are three potential factors related to bullying. The study examined cross-sectional relationships among self-reported EF, mindfulness, self-compassion, and bullying behavior in 33 urban junior high students. EF was measured using the BRIEF, mindfulness with the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, self-compassion with four scales (self-kindness, self-judgment, isolation, and common humanity) from the Self-Compassion Scale – Adolescents; physical, relational, and isolational bullying were measured with the Adolescent Peer Relations Instrument, and electronic bullying was measured with the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey. General linear models covarying for sex, free lunch, and ethnicity tested relationships between EF, mindfulness, and self-compassion as independent variables; and bullying behaviors as dependent variables. Results demonstrate that EF was significantly related to physical (F = 10.90, p < .01; b = -.53), relational (F = 12.69, p < .001; b = -.64), isolational (F = 9.33, p < .01; b = -.50), and electronic bullying (F = 5.32, p < .05; b = -.39). Mindfulness was significantly related to relational bullying (F = 6.87, p < .01; b = -.43). Self-judgment was significantly related to physical bullying (F =3.25, p < .10; b = .34), relational bullying (F = 14.06, p < .001; b = .63), isolational bullying (F = 5.01, p < .05; b = .43), and electronic bullying (F = 4.43, p < .05; b = .40). Common humanity was significantly related with physical bullying (F = 3.49, p < .10; b = -.35), relational bullying (F = 4.20, p < .05; b = -.37), and electronic bullying (F = 6.65, p < .05; b = -.45). Isolation was significantly related to relational bullying (F = 14.77, p < .001; b = .60) and electronic bullying (F = 3.65, p < .10; b = .34). Significant relationships were found despite the small sample size. Findings suggest that future studies continue to explore the potential for bullying prevention programs to target EF, mindfulness, and self-compassion as possible prevention mediators. A follow-up study with these same measures is being conducted in November (n = 110) and will also be discussed. Both studies are informing the development of a school-based bullying prevention curriculum.