Introduction: The study of school factors capable of mitigating the passive response of bystanders is crucial for preventing bullying; however, research on this topic remains limited. The present study examined the relationships between school collective efficacy in managing bullying incidents and bystander passive behaviour in bullying. It also explores the mediating role of student perceptions of school justice and a sense of community in this relationship. Method: The study included 600 adolescents aged 12-16 (Mage = 14.31 years, SD = 0.63, 54% female) who completed self-reported measures assessing collective self-efficacy, school justice, school sense of community, and passive behaviour in bullying incidents. Results: Structural modelling analysis indicated that school collective efficacy was not directly associated with passive bystander behaviour in bullying incidents. However, it indirectly reduced passive bullying behaviour through school justice and the sense of the school community. Conclusions: These findings suggest that collective efficacy mitigates the frequency of passive bystander responses to bullying incidents only when students perceive their school environment as equitable and experience a sense of belonging to the school community.

Keywords:
Bystanders, bullying, school collective efficacy, school justice, school sense of community

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