Exploring Bullying-Inducing Behaviors in Parenting: A Phenomenological Study in Virginia

Introduction

Bullying remains a pervasive public health and social problem worthy of prevention at its core. While experts continually demonstrate the importance of microsystems in a child’s life, primarily as models of appropriate social behavior, many prevention efforts focus instead on school-based interventions. Compared with other approaches, little attention has been given to parenting behaviors as a bullying prevention. This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of parents who exhibit characteristics of bullying-inducing behaviors in parenting. Bullying-inducing behaviors, a new term among bullying literature, refer to higher levels of authoritarian and/or permissive parenting behaviors. This study expands the definition of parenting using bullying-inducing behaviors as a parenting style characterized by excessively aggressive and less nurturing behaviors toward children, unclear rules, high expectations, and extreme punishments for mistakes (high-authoritarian), or minimal expectations for behavior, no guidelines for behaviors, and a lack of boundaries (Broll & Reynolds, 2021; West & Yockey, 2024; Butts, 2024).

Methods

A purposeful sample of 15-20 parents or guardians from Virginia community service organizations will participate in a two-phase data collection process that includes the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) to select a high-authoritarian sample, as well as semi-structured interviews. Parents and guardians who score a mean of 2.4 in the PSDQ will be invited to participate in the interview process. Dates, times, locations, and/or video conferencing software will be at the discretion of the respondent. Data will be analyzed using Creswell and Poth’s five-step phenomenological method to identify significant statements and emergent themes.

Results and Anticipated Conclusions

Results are pending the completion of respondent screening and semi-structured interviews. Projected findings include a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of parents who use bullying-inducing parenting behaviors, as well as the individual, familial, social, and cultural factors that contribute to childhood bullying, and the development of informed prevention strategies.