Why are adolescents harshly punished by parents more vulnerable to bullying victimization? Evidence across nine countries

Previous research has predominantly concentrated on school-related factors in adolescent bullying victimization, often overlooking the "cycle of victimization" stemming from parental punishment at home. Moreover, the mechanisms linking parental harsh punishment to bullying victimization have not been sufficiently investigated. This study aimed to investigate the association between parental harsh punishment and bullying victimization, as well as the mediating roles of cooperation and trust. Additionally, the present study sought to make cross-cultural comparisons by testing the moderating effects of collectivism versus individualism. A sample of 50,355 adolescents, with a mean age of 13.11 years (50.70% boys), from nine countries was obtained from the Study on Social and Emotional Skills. The moderated mediation mode was conducted using the SPSS macro PROCESS. Parental harsh punishment was positively associated with bullying victimization. Higher levels of parental harsh punishment were linked to decreased cooperation and trust, which in turn contributed to increased bullying victimization. The associations between parental harsh punishment and both cooperation and trust were more pronounced among adolescents living in individualist cultures than among those in collectivist cultures. This study advanced our understanding of the mechanisms linking parental harsh punishment and adolescent bullying victimization, and it has implications for intervention strategies.