Bullying does not always involve physical violence. A new study from Chile looks at the quieter kind, carried out through friendships and social standing, and suggests that the way fathers treat their children may play a part in who becomes a target.
The study, published in The Open Psychology Journal, was led by Dr Fabiola Gómez of the Faculty of Psychology at the Universidad de Talca, working with Fernando P. Ponce. It followed pupils at publicly subsidised urban schools in four Chilean cities over three waves of data collection.
The research focused on relational aggression and relational victimisation. These describe harming others, or being harmed, through damage to friendships and social standing rather than through physical violence.
At the start, 530 students in grades seven, eight, and nine took part, with 474 remaining at the second wave and 458 at the third. They were aged 11–15 at the outset, with an average age of just under 13. Of these, 47% identified as female, 50% as male, and 3% as another gender, and just over half (52.4%) lived with both parents.
The teenagers reported how psychologically controlling they felt their mothers and fathers were. In the study, psychological control covered intrusive parenting practices such as emotional manipulation, inducing guilt, withdrawing love, and dismissing a child’s independence.
The clearest finding was a two-way link between aggression and victimisation. Teenagers who were targeted went on to become more aggressive, and those who were aggressive went on to be targeted more, suggesting a cycle that can be hard to break.
Fathers’ psychological control stood out. Higher perceived control from fathers was linked to more victimisation later on, and being victimised was in turn linked to a small later rise in how controlling teenagers felt their fathers were.
Mothers’ psychological control showed a different pattern, with a negative link to later victimisation. The authors urge caution over this result and say it needs to be confirmed in further research.
The findings suggest that peer relationships drive much of the link between aggression and victimisation. However, the specific role of fathers points to family life as another area where support could make a difference.
The study relied on teenagers’ own reports, which the authors say can introduce bias, and they call for future research to include reports from parents, peers, and teachers. They also note that their statistical model cannot fully separate changes within individuals from stable differences between them.
The authors argue that anti-bullying programmes should tackle aggression and victimisation together rather than treating them as separate problems. They also recommend adding components for parents that aim to reduce intrusive, controlling parenting, particularly from fathers.
For parents, the message is that intrusive, controlling parenting may have effects that reach beyond the home and into young people’s friendships.
