<![CDATA[This study examines the multidimensional structure of bullying behavior among santri by analyzing verbal, relational, and physical bullying in relation to self-regulation, empathy, and social values within an Islamic boarding school context. A quantitative explanatory survey was conducted with 132 santri from an Islamic boarding school in Jombang District, Jember Regency, East Java, Indonesia. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) with a hierarchical component model in which bullying behavior was specified as a higher-order construct reflected through verbal, relational, and physical bullying. The measurement model was evaluated using outer loadings, Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, Average Variance Extracted (AVE), and Heterotrait–Monotrait Ratio (HTMT), while the structural model was assessed using path coefficients, bootstrapping statistics, and R². The results show that verbal bullying had the strongest measurement consistency among the three bullying dimensions, whereas relational bullying showed a comparatively less stable measurement pattern despite meeting the minimum composite reliability criterion. Self-regulation (β = 0.093, p < 0.001) and empathy (β = 0.061, p = 0.006) showed statistically significant positive associations with bullying behavior, while social values were not statistically significant (β = −0.032, p = 0.151). The model explained 22.5% of the variance in bullying behavior. These findings indicate that bullying in pesantren should be understood within the interaction between individual characteristics and the social dynamics of communal boarding life. The findings also underscore the importance of interpreting socio-emotional characteristics together with peer-group processes, seniority, and social acceptance rather than treating bullying exclusively as an individual behavioral problem.]]>
