The Association between Family Environment and Subsequent Risk of Cyberbullying Victimization in Adolescents

Background

Family environment and parental monitoring have long been recognized as two important factors associated with adolescents’ psychological development. Studies have suggested a potential link between parenting style/parental engagement and the likelihood of bullying victimization among adolescents. Nonetheless, no studies to date have investigated the association between family environment and the subsequent risk of cyberbullying victimization among adolescents. In this study, we assessed the association between family environment (eg, parental monitoring and family conflict) and subsequent risk of cyberbullying victimization using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD).

Methods

We used multivariable logistic regressions to assess the association between parental monitoring and family conflict at year 1 and the subsequent risk of cyberbullying victimization at year 2 in 10,410 eligible ABCD study participants.

Results

Adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, study sampling weights and study site, higher levels of parental monitoring at year 1 were associated with a lower reported past 12-month (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.50–0.75) history of cyberbullying victimization at year 2. Higher levels of family conflict at year 1 were associated with a higher risk of reported past 12-month history (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.04–1.16) of cyberbullying victimization one year later.

Conclusion

Higher levels of parental monitoring and lower levels of family conflict are associated with a subsequent lower risk of cyberbullying victimization among adolescents. Cyberbullying victimization preventive programs should advocate for increased parental monitoring and minimize family conflict at home to reduce the risks of cyberbullying victimization among adolescents.