Examining the mediating role of peer antisocial behavior on the relationship between parenting and bullying behaviors

Although prior research has established the influence of parents and peers on adolescents' bullying behaviors, there is a void in the literature of the potential mediating effect of negative peer influence in the relationship between parenting practices and bullying behaviors among a United States sample. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance study, the present study examines the mediating role of peer antisocial behavior in the association between parenting (i.e., parental monitoring and maternal warmth) and adolescents' bullying behaviors (i.e., bully perpetration, bully victimization, bully-victim, and non-involved). Results indicate that the effect of parental monitoring on youth who engaged in bully perpetration (vs. non-involved) was mediated by peer antisocial behavior. That is, poor parental monitoring increased delinquent peer association, which in turn predicted a high risk of engaging in bully perpetration. However, peer antisocial behavior did not mediate the relationship between parental monitoring and bully victimization (vs. non-involved) nor bully-victim (vs. non-involved). The findings have important implications for adolescents' bullying behavior and possible intervention programs by informing researchers and practitioners about the mechanisms surrounding multiple types of bullying behaviors.