EMPATHY IN THE PREVENTION AND ADDRESSING OF BULLYING IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT: A STATE-OF-KNOWLEDGE ANALYSIS

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between empathy, prevention, and addressing bullying in the school context, identifying convergences and implications for educational practice. It is a qualitative bibliographic study organized according to state-of-knowledge procedures and content analysis. The survey considered publications from 2017 to 2026 in Google Scholar, SciELO, and the Virtual Health Library, using “empathy and bullying” as the main descriptor. After screening by publication period, document type, full-text availability, language, and thematic relevance, 13 articles composed the analytical corpus. Legislation and institutional documents were used as contextual and normative sources and were not included in the article corpus. The analysis identified four axes: bullying and cyberbullying; individual, emotional, and relational factors; impacts on well-being, academic performance, and inclusion; and prevention and intervention strategies. The findings indicate that empathy is a multidimensional construct related to perspective-taking, affective responsiveness, emotional regulation, and interpersonal relationships, and should not be treated as sufficient on its own to prevent violence. Its preventive potential is greater when articulated with teacher education, inclusion, family participation, conflict mediation, and a protective school culture.