Association Between Parental Violence and School Bullying Victimization in China

In China, the “Tiger Mom, Wolf Dad” parenting style remains prevalent; however, its implications for the personal development of children and adolescents warrant further exploration. To examine the association between parental violence and school bullying victimization, using data from the 2018 Beijing Student Common Diseases and Health Influencing Factors Survey and the Heckman Probit Model, this study examines the interactive effects of interpersonal violence in the “family-school” contexts. A total of 21,603 students were sampled, including primary school students (Grades 4–6, aged 9–12), middle school students (aged 12–15), and high school and vocational high school students (aged 15–18). Parental violence, encompassing both physical and psychological forms, significantly increased the likelihood of children’s and adolescents’ school bullying victimization across physical, property, social, and verbal domains. Boys were more likely than girls to experience physical and property bullying victimization. Compared to primary school students, those in higher grade levels faced lower risks of all types of bullying victimization. Boarding status was also associated with school bullying victimization. This study provides a multi-contextual understanding of school bullying victimization and offers insights for intervention strategies. This approach includes establishing extra-familial emotional refuges—such as community libraries and youth center—staffed by trained volunteers who offer companionship and academic support to address emotional neglect. For schools, campus open days, parent–teacher reading clubs, and semesterly “home–school roundtables” foster emotional engagement and reframe parents as co-educators. For families, a Nonviolent Communication Handbook, complemented by scenario-based training, is needed to improve parental emotion regulation and to eliminate practices such as corporal punishment, verbal abuse, and humiliation.