Exposure to Family Violence and School Bullying Perpetration among Children and Adolescents: Serial Mediating Roles of Parental Support and Depression

Previous studies have found links of intimate partner violence exposure and child maltreatment with school bullying among children and adolescents. However, little is known about how exposure to family violence may influence child and adolescent bullying perpetration and the mediating mechanism underlying this relationship. This study aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to family violence and school bullying perpetration, as well as the mediating roles of parental support and depression in this relationship. The sample consisted of 3,199 Chinese primary and secondary school students from grades four through twelve (mean age 13.4 years, 50.8% boys). Participants responded to validated self-report questionnaires in 2021. Generalized structural equation modeling was analyzed. The study found that exposure to family violence was significantly and positively associated with school bullying perpetration. Furthermore, parental support and depression, in this order, mediated the effect of exposure to family violence on bullying perpetration. Moreover, the overall mediating effect on traditional bullying perpetration is larger than that on cyber bullying perpetration. Less parental support and depression acted as risk factors for the negative effect of exposure to family violence on child and adolescent bullying perpetration. The importance of these two factors can motivate future intervention initiatives to prevent bullying perpetration from an integrated perspective.