How Three Types of Parental Violence and Parental Educational Anxiety Relate to Adolescent Bullying Victimization: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among three types of parental violence (parent-to-parent physical violence, parent-to-elder conflict, and parent-to-child physical violence), parental educational anxiety, and adolescent bullying victimization, and to explore whether their relationship was mediated by adolescent self-esteem. Participants were 910 students in Grades 7 to 9 (M = 13.81, SD = 0.79) from junior high schools in a city located in an eastern province of China. The instruments used were Olweus Child Bullying Questionnaire, Parental Violence and Parent-To-Elder Conflict Questionnaire, Parental Educational Anxiety Questionnaire, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire. Parent-to-elder conflict and parent-to-child physical violence were significantly and positively associated with adolescent bullying victimization. Self-esteem was negatively associated with adolescent bullying victimization. Self-esteem partially mediated between parent-to-elder conflict, parent-to-child physical violence, and adolescent bullying victimization, and completely mediated between parental educational anxiety and adolescent bullying victimization. Adolescent bullying victimization was related to a broader family context of violence and disharmony. Parent-to-elder conflict, parent-to-child physical violence, or parental educational anxiety increased the risk of low self-esteem and bullying victimization among adolescents.