How are parenting practices associated with bullying in adolescents? A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Parenting styles have been previously associated with bullying, but some parenting practices have not received strong attention in the literature. We aimed to assess how parenting practices are associated with cyberbullying and traditional bullying involvement in adolescents. Method: A cross-sectional survey of 2,218 secondary-school students in London (UK) was conducted. The Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire and the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ-child form) were used. Results: Positive parenting significantly protected against cyberbullying involvement but not against traditional bullying. Inconsistent discipline was associated with being a cyberbully but not being a traditional one. Lower levels of monitoring were associated with being a cyberbully, a cyberbully-victim, a traditional bully, or a traditional bully-victim. Conclusions: Parenting practices seem to be more relevant in cyberbullying than traditional bullying. Effective parenting practices such as positive parenting deserve attention as a potentially modifiable factor to protect against cyberbullying involvement. Ineffective parenting practices such as inconsistent discipline are relevant in cyberaggression, whereas poor monitoring is associated with both cyberbullying and traditional bullying. Clinical and research implications are discussed.