Co-written with Tim Schäfer (Psychology Student, Erasmus University Rotterdam)

DISCLAIMER: Keep in mind that this is NOT trying to frighten parents or accuse them of growing their children into bullies or victims! There is no such direct, causal relationship and the factors interplaying in this phenomenon are so many that it is almost impossible to attribute all the causes to one of them. Parents try their best, they are humans and can make mistakes! 

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This article will cover the following points:

• What is bullying? 
• What are some causes? What parenting styles are there?
• Effect of parental responsiveness on perpetration
• Effect on parental responsiveness on victimisation

What is bullying? 

If we look back into our child-hood or teenage-hood, many of us can relate to feeling teased and taken advantage of, as well as having hurt someone else perhaps to appear “cool” around our friends. Bullying is a (sadly) normalised aspect at school. It is defined as the repeated, intentional, and enduring exposure of an individual to negative acts including humiliation, social isolation, and physical hurting of the victim in a power-imbalanced situation[1]. There are two components of bullying: perpetration (the bully) and victimisation (the victim). Studies estimate involvement rates of 20 to 35% for traditional bullying and 15% for cyberbullying among students from 12 to 18 years old[3] [4]. Generally, girls report more victimisation, whereas boys are more often associated with perpetration[5]. 

For some it is more traumatic than for others, which increases the risk of behavioural and/or relational problems in adulthood. Among preventive measures against bullying, the majority focus on raising awareness in children, outside the family context (for example school interventions). Although these methods are greatly beneficial, there is a tendency to forget that the home environment is the very first place where people acquire relational and problem-solving skills. 

What are some causes?

Victims seem to struggle with internalising problems, such as depression and low self-esteem[6] [7], which lead to interpersonal difficulties later in life[8] [9]. On the contrary, perpetration is related to externalising problems like substance-abuse or poor social adjustment, leading to psychological problems in adulthood[10] [11] [12]. 

Family environment has been found to act as a risk but also as a protective factor for showing violent behaviour towards others[13]. Theories on parenting styles usually two dimensions[14] [15]: 

• Demandingness - refers to the degree of parental strictness, demand and control;
• Responsiveness - refers to the degree of parental support, emotional warmth and sensitivity to their children’s needs. In extreme cases, responsiveness can give rise to overprotection. 

Effect of Parental Responsiveness on Perpetration

Most present research reveals that children whose parents score high on responsiveness, tend to engage less in bullying perpetration[16] [17]. Similarly, it was found that parental overprotection does not lead the child to bully others[18]. Instead, maternal responsiveness can even encourage positive social adjustment of the child[19]. The same relationship was tested in regards to the demandingness dimension[20], but these studies report very contradicting results, meaning that the link between the two remains unclear and more complex than previously thought.   

Inevitably, some other studies report completely different findings. For example, a study from Luk and colleagues (2016) actually suggests that overprotective maternal parenting links to bullying perpetration by encouraging substance abuse in children, especially alcohol[21]. The authors think that an overprotective attitude towards one’s own children might provoke the child, pushing them to engage in transgressive behaviours as a way to establish independence.

Taken together, children of responsive parents appear to engage less frequently in bullying perpetration. However, we cannot conclude the same for low demanding parents meaning that permissive parenting cannot be seen as a preventive factor for bullying overall. 

Effect of Parental Responsiveness on Victimisation

Unlike perpetration, victimisation is associated with high parental responsiveness, especially from the mother’s side[19]. Extremely protective and anxious parents unconsciously develop the inability in their children to resist perpetration attacks[22]. At the same time, these youths are unaware of their teasable and weak appearance, which attracts bullies. 

Nevertheless, there are contradicting findings. One study actually found the opposite: high responsiveness (permissive parents) can protect children against victimization[20]. Perhaps, parents that are more overprotective and attentive convey security and self-esteem to the child, which is then not seen as a potential victim by bullies. 

In conclusion, most research suggests that: responsiveness in parents protects children from engaging frequently in bullying, while acting as a risk factor for becoming a victim. Naturally, it is very hard to draw firm conclusions because every child and every parent are different. Other factors like family dynamics, friends and school environment interact as a complex network in defining a person’s behaviours. Still, the role of parents should be considered when designing intervention plans in order to eliminate bullying at school. It is important to inform parents about the effects of their parenting behaviour on their children’s bullying behaviour. 

Here at Shrink it Out we think the best way to prevent bullying is for both parents and children to be informed about its risks and consequences, so that home becomes a safe space that children can rely on and where parents can check in with them. Remember to reach out when you witness bullying or experience it yourself!

For more info:

• Example of Anti-Bullying Policy: https://www.educateandcelebrate.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Example-secondary-school-anti-bullying-policy.pdf 
• Bullying Short-Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyDJafzuUK4 
• Bully Dance Animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPtT-5SAb9U 

References

1. Olweus, D. (1994). Bullying at school. In Aggressive Behavior, 97-130. doi:10.1007/978-1-  4757-9116-7_5
2. Carlyle, K. E., & Steinman, K. J. (2007). Demographic differences in the prevalence, co‐       occurrence, and correlates of adolescent bullying at school. Journal of School Health, 77(9), 623-629. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2007.00242.x
3. Seldin, M., & Yanez, C. (2019). Student Reports of Bullying: Results from the 2017 School Crime Supplement to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Web Tables. NCES 2019-054. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from: https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2015056 
4. Modecki, K. L., Minchin, J., Harbaugh, A. G., Guerra, N. G., & Runions, K. C. (2014).          Bullying prevalence across contexts: A meta-analysis measuring cyber and traditional     bullying. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55(5), 602-611.    doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.06.007
5. Cook, C. R., Williams, K. R., Guerra, N. G., Kim, T. E., & Sadek, S. (2010). Predictors of     bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic         investigation. School Psychology Quarterly, 25(2), 65. doi:10.1037/a0020149
6. Bond, L., Carlin, J. B., Thomas, L., Rubin, K., & Patton, G. (2001). Does bullying cause        emotional problems? A prospective study of young teenagers. Bmj, 323(7311), 480-    484. doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7311.480
7. Olweus, D. (1993). Bully/victim problems among school children: Long-term consequences and an effective intervention program. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1993-97503-017 
8. Hugh‐Jones, S., & Smith, P. K. (1999). Self‐reports of short‐and long‐term effects of bullying        on children who stammer. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 69(2), 141-158. doi:10.1348/000709999157626
9. Klomek, A. B., Marrocco, F., Kleinman, M., Schonfeld, I. S., & Gould, M. S. (2007).   Bullying, depression, and suicidality in adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(1), 40-49. doi:10.1097/   01.chi.0000242237.84925.18
10. Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W. J., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P.        (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with     psychosocial adjustment. Jama, 285(16), 2094-2100. doi:10.1001/jama.285.16.2094
11. Olweus, D. (1997). Bully/victim problems in school: Facts and intervention. European          Journal of Psychology of Education, 12(4), 495. doi:10.1007/BF03172807
12. Roberts Jr, W. B., & Morotti, A. A. (2000). The bully as victim: Understanding bully   behaviors to increase the effectiveness of interventions in the bully-victim dyad. Professional School Counseling, 4(2), 148. Retrieved from          https://search.proquest.com/openview/37eb4c9ff2c691c9ac8f3c8c6159648a/1?pq-     origsite=gscholar&cbl=11185
13. Black, M. P. (2014). Cyberbullying, bullying, and victimization among adolescents: Rates of          occurrence, internet use and relationship to parenting styles. Retrieved from    https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/2803/
14. Baumrind, D. (1967). Child Care Practices Anteceding Three Patterns of Preschool Behavior.         Genetic Psychology Monographs, 75 (1), 43–88. Retrieved from       https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1967-05780-001
15. Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: parent-     child interaction. In P. H. Mussen (Series Ed.) & E. M. Hetherington (Vol. Ed.), Handbook of Child Psychology: Vol. 4. Socialization, Personality, and Social      Development, 1-101. New York: Wiley.
16. Georgiou, S. N. (2008b). Parental style and child bullying and victimization experiences at    school. Social Psychology of Education, 11(3), 213-227. doi:10.1007/s11218-007-       9048-5
17. Alizadeh Maralani, F., Mirnasab, M., & Hashemi, T. (2016). The predictive role of maternal parenting and stress on pupils’ bullying involvement. Journal of Interpersonal       Violence. doi:10.1177/0886260516672053
18. Kokkinos, C. M. (2013). Bullying and victimization in early adolescence: Associations with attachment style and perceived parenting. Journal of School Violence, 12(2), 174-192.   doi:10.1080/15388220.2013.766134
19. Georgiou, S. N. (2008a). Bullying and victimization at school: The role of mothers. British    Journal of Educational Psychology, 78(1), 109-125. doi:10.1348/000709907X204363
20. Dehue, F., Bolman, C., Vollink, T., & Pouwelse, M. (2012). Cyberbullying and traditional     bullying in relation to adolescents’ perception of parenting. Journal of Cybertherapy         & Rehabilitation, 5(1), 25-34. Retrieved from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-11491-004
21. Luk, J. W., Patock-Peckham, J. A., Medina, M., Terrell, N., Belton, D., & King, K. M. (2016). Bullying perpetration and victimization as externalizing and internalizing       pathways: A retrospective study linking parenting styles and self-esteem to depression,          alcohol use, and alcohol-related problems. Substance Use & Misuse, 51(1), 113-125.   doi:10.3109/10826084.2015.1090453
22. Stevens, V., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., & Van Oost, P. (2002). Relationship of the family    environment to children's involvement in bully/victim problems at school. Journal of       Youth and Adolescence, 31(6), 419-428. doi:10.1023/A:1020207003027