Cross-sectional study of associations between parenting behaviors and experiences of bullying and victimization in elementary and junior high school students

Abstract

Bullying is a major problem in schools. Many studies conducted in the U.S. and Europe have indicated relationships between parenting behaviors and bullying and peer victimization. However, only a few studies in Japan have investigated these relationships. Therefore, the study examined associations between parenting behaviors and experiences of bullying and victimization in all elementary and junior-high schools students in a suburban Japanese city. Parents assessed their parenting behaviors and the degree of their children's experience of bullying behaviors or victimization in the last year using parent-reported measures. Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that parental involvement and monitoring was associated with experiences of victimization at school. Furthermore, negative parenting behaviors, especially rigid discipline, was related to all experiences of bullying, including the bully, the victim, and the bully-victim. These findings suggest that the improvement of parenting behaviors could prevent children and adolescents from bullying other students or being victimized at schools.