Parenting styles, cyberaggression, and cybervictimization among adolescents
Keywords
Parenting styles
Cyberbullying
Cybervictimization
Adolescence
Publication details
| Year: | 2018 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.031 |
| Issued: | 2019 |
| Language: | English |
| Volume: | 93 |
| Start Page: | 252 |
| End Page: | 259 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Moreno–Ruiz D.; Martínez–Ferrer B.; García–Bacete F. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Journal: | Computers in Human Behavior |
| Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
| Sample: | A sample of 2399 Spanish adolescents, 50.2% boys, aged between 12 and 18 years old (Mage = 14.69, SDage = 1.82). |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parental practices / parental mediation; Parental digital literacy ; Parenting guidance / support |
| Implications For Educators About: | Digital citizenship; Other |
| Implications For Policy Makers About: | Stepping up awareness and empowerment; Creating a safe environment for children online; Other |
| Other PolicyMaker Implication: | The need of developing intervention programs which include parental education so that families become aware of the importance of warmth, communication, and supervision as protective factors against their children'sengagement in cyberbullying |
Abstract
Social concern about the negative effects of cyberbullying in children and adolescents’psychosocial developmentis currently increasing. The importance of the family environment and factors in bullying has been highlighted,but little is known about the role of parenting styles in adolescents' engagement in cyberaggression and cy-bervictimization. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships of parenting styles (authoritative, in-dulgent, authoritarian, and neglectful) and cyberbullying (cybervictimization and cyberaggression) in adoles-cents, also considering sex and age. Participants were 2399 Spanish adolescents, 50.2% boys, aged between 12and 18 years old (Mage= 14.69,SDage= 1.82). A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA, 4 × 2 × 2) wasperformed, with parenting styles, sex, and age (12–14 years and 15–18 years) as independent variables andcybervictimization and cyberaggression as criteria. Possible interaction effects were also analyzed. Resultsshowed main effects of parenting styles, sex, and age, as well as an interaction effect between sex and parentingstyles. Girls suffered more cybervictimization than boys, whereas boys performed higher levels of cyberag-gression than girls. Results suggested that authoritarian parenting style was a risk factor for cyberviolence. Girlsfrom authoritarian families scored highest on cybervictimization. Boys from indulgent families were less in-volved in cybervictimization. Thesefindings highlight the importance of establishing positive and open com-munication between parents and adolescents. The implications are discussed.
Outcome
The results show the protective role of warmth/affection and supervising, which are characteristic of the indulgent and authoritative styles, against engagement in cyberbullying. Conversely, the authoritarian style, in which strong control is exercised but with little affection, has proven to be a risk factor for being a target of cyber-bullying, especially in girls. The authors point out that "this aspect suggests the need for gender-sensitive studies in relation to parenting styles" (Moreno-Ruiz, 2019: 257). The authors highlight the need to consider parental education in cyberbullying prevention programs, stating that: "the learning and work of the families and their children will promote positive school coexistence and reduce cyberbullying behavior" (Moreno-Ruiz, 2019: 257).