Longitudinal Relations among Defending Behaviors, Bullying Victimization, and Self-Esteem in Chinese Adolescence: Examining Between- and Within-Person Effects.

Defending, victimization, and self-esteem may link children's behavior, peer experiences, and self-evaluations, but longitudinal evidence distinguishing within-child change from stable between-child differences remains limited. Data were collected across three waves from 1,186 Chinese children in Grades 3-5 (Mage = 10.86, SD = 0.87; 42.9% girls). A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model separated these levels. Within children, higher-than-usual defending predicted lower subsequent victimization; paths from victimization to self-esteem were negative but marginally significant, while the indirect association through victimization was significant. Reverse paths varied across intervals, and defending and self-esteem were not directly associated. Between children, defending was positively associated with victimization and self-esteem, while victimization was negatively associated with self-esteem. These contrasting patterns identify victimization as a possible intervening process.