The relationship between childhood exposure to parental violence and bullying behaviours

Involvement in bullying, whether perpetrator or victim, is associated with a range of negative life outcomes. Recent estimates have suggested that over a third of all adolescents have experienced bullying at some point in their lives. Whilst most research has focused on school, peer, and community related factors behind this phenomenon, less attention has been paid to the role of family-related processes. The aim of this research is to review the existing literature on the association between childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and the perpetration of bullying in schools, and to examine the role of low self-control as a potential mediator between parental violence and adolescent involvement in bullying. This research is presented in two parts: a systematic literature review, and an empirical research paper. The systematic literature review examined the association between childhood exposure to IPV and bullying perpetration. Searches of relevant databases identified 30 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed and the findings relating to IPV exposure and bullying perpetration were summarised in a narrative synthesis. Approximately 80% of studies reported a significant association between childhood exposure to IPV and bullying perpetration, with effect sizes typically falling in the small to moderate range. A limited number of studies found that frequency and severity of exposure to IPV increased the risk of bullying perpetration. Methodological quality varied significantly across studies, with longitudinal studies representing the highest quality research. Studies were heterogenous regarding IPV definition, IPV measurement, and bullying measurement. There is an additional need for future research to focus on the role of gender for both IPV aggressors and bullying perpetrators. In the empirical paper, an observational cohort study was used to explore the mediating role of low self-control on the relationship between parental violence and involvement in bullying, moderated by gender. Archival data from the Montevideo Project on the Social Development of Children and Youths (m-proso) was analysed, involving over 2000 students (mean age 15 years) from 82 different schools from Montevideo, Uruguay. Students completed self-report questionnaires on exposure to parental conflict and corporal punishment, as well as measures of low self-control and whether they had bullied or been bullied in the past year. Findings show that adolescents with higher bullying perpetration or victimisation were more likely to report parental violence at home than adolescents with lower bullying involvement. Furthermore, low self-control fully mediated the association between parental conflict and bullying perpetration: adolescents who reported exposure to parental conflict were more likely to have lower self-control, which effectively increased their risk of involvement in bullying. Gender did not moderate the mediating role of low selfcontrol, although did moderate the direct relationship between parental conflict and bullying perpetration. Despite methodological limitations, this study has clinical implications for the prevention of child exposure to parental violence and the intervention in bullying behaviours in schools. This research contributes to the growing literature on the association between parental practices and youth involvement in bullying by first summarising the existing evidence, and secondly adding to the evidence base for understanding the causal mechanisms of this relationship. This research can support families, children’s services, and education settings in the early prevention and intervention in family relationships and child bullying behaviours