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Like Father, like Child: Early Life Family Adversity and Children's Bullying Behaviors in Elementary School

Else E de Vries1,2, Marina Verlinden1,3, Jolien Rijlaarsdam1,2

  • 1The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC - University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
|December 20, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Fathers' family adversity, including prenatal distress and harsh discipline, is linked to children's bullying. This highlights the crucial role of paternal factors in child behavior development.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Family Studies

Background:

  • Family adversity is linked to children's bullying, but research often focuses on maternal factors.
  • Limited understanding exists regarding the specific impact of paternal adversity on children's bullying behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between mother- and father-reported family adversity and children's bullying behaviors.
  • To examine paternal risk factors (prenatal distress, hostility, harsh discipline) and maternal risk factors (childhood distress) in relation to bullying.
  • To determine if paternal factors predict bullying independently of background risks and early externalizing problems.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective population-based study of 1298 elementary school children (mean age 7.5 years).
  • Peer-nominations used to assess children's bullying behaviors.
  • Mother and father reports of family adversity assessed pre- and post-childbirth, alongside background risk factors and early childhood externalizing problems.

Main Results:

  • Father-reported prenatal family distress, fathers' hostility, and harsh disciplinary practices were prospectively associated with children's bullying, though effect sizes were small.
  • Mother-reported family distress in childhood was associated with bullying; other maternal factors were less consistent.
  • Father-reported family adversity predicted children's bullying independently of background factors, early problems, and maternal adversity.
  • Fathers' prenatal hostility and distress partially mediated the link to bullying through harsh discipline.

Conclusions:

  • Paternal factors, particularly prenatal distress and harsh discipline, play a significant role in the development of children's bullying behaviors.
  • Findings underscore the importance of considering fathers' behaviors and family environment from a paternal perspective in understanding and preventing childhood bullying.
  • Interventions targeting paternal behaviors and family dynamics may be crucial for addressing children's bullying.

Keywords:
BullyingDisciplineFamily adversityFamily distressHarsh parentingHostility

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