MECHANISMS BY WHICH FAMILY PROCESSES CONTRIBUTE TO SCHOOL-AGE BOYS BULLYING

Mechanisms by which family processes contribute to boysʹ bullying were examined in a sample of 54 mother-son dyads. Boysʹ bullying was measured by peer nominations, teacher reports, and mother reports. Family processes were categorized as modeling variables, conditioning variables, and setting the stage variables. Modeling variables included marital satisfaction, use of inappropriate discipline, and social support from spouse, relatives, and friends. Conditioning variables included maternal temperament traits of angry and distressed, maternal depression, and parent-child involvement. Setting the stage variables included the number of the sonʹs friends personally known by mother, whether or not the mother likes her son to have friends over to visit and the motherʹs monitoring. Results of the study suggest that modeling variables make the strongest contribution to boysʹ bullying. Several conditioning variables were independently related to bullying. Results are discussed in terms of direct and indirect parental influences on childrenʹs peer competence.