Abstract
Background and ObjectivesSchool bullying threatens the health of children and adolescents, such as mental health disorders, social deviant behaviors, suicidal behaviors, and coping difficulties. The present study aims to address (1) prevalence rates of both traditional and cyber school bullying perpetration, and (2) the associations between self-control, parental involvement, experiencing conflicts with parents, experiencing interparental conflict, and risk behaviors, and school bullying perpetration among Chinese children and adolescents.MethodThis study used data from a national representative school bullying survey (n = 3,675) among children and adolescents from all grades (primary school 4th grade to high school 12th grade) in seven cities in China. Negative binomial regression was used to estimate the effects of these predictive factors on traditional and cyber school bullying perpetration, respectively. Seven control variables were included, such as gender, boarding school, family socioeconomic status, and parents’ education levels.ResultsThe sample comprised 52% female, 18% at boarding school, 70% of the participants’ academic performance was average or above. Approximately 17.3% of the participants reported participating in traditional school bullying against their peers, and 7.8% perpetrated cyberbullying behaviors. Also, after controlling sociodemographic characteristics and high self-control, parental involvement reduced the likelihood of traditional and cyberbullying perpetrating. Experiencing interparental conflict and risk behavior was significantly associated with increased perpetration of traditional and cyber school bullying. We found that having a conflict with parents was significantly associated with cyberbullying perpetration.ImplicationsFindings have implications for practice. Anti-bullying intervention programs targeting this population should consider these factors. For example, school administrators may develop school programs involving parents in the efforts and interventions workshops improving children and adolescents’ levels of self-control. Limitations are also discussed.
Highlights
School bullying is an important social problem affecting children and adolescents in China (Chai et al, 2020a,b)
The present study proposes five hypotheses based on existing empirical research as follows: Hypothesis 1: Low self-control is more likely to associate with both traditional bullying and cyberbullying perpetration
The present study contributes to the school bullying literature in China in two ways: (1) assessing the prevalence of both traditional and cyberbullying perpetration, and (2) examining risk factors contributing to bullying behaviors among Chinese children and adolescents using a national survey from China in 2016
Summary
School bullying is an important social problem affecting children and adolescents in China (Chai et al, 2020a,b). The examination of potential risk factors of school bullying perpetration is helpful to prevent adverse health and well-being consequences for children and adolescents. The present study aims to address the research gap by examining the effects of several predicting factors on school bullying perpetration among a large sample of Chinese children and adolescents, including the impact of self-control behaviors, parental involvement, conflicts with parents, interparental conflict, and risk behaviors. The present study aims to address (1) prevalence rates of both traditional and cyber school bullying perpetration, and (2) the associations between self-control, parental involvement, experiencing conflicts with parents, experiencing interparental conflict, and risk behaviors, and school bullying perpetration among Chinese children and adolescents
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