Shinya Fujikawa1, Shuntaro Ando2, Atsushi Nishida3, Satoshi Usami4, Shinsuke Koike5, Syudo Yamasaki3, Yuko Morimoto3, Rie Toriyama6, Sho Kanata7, Noriko Sugimoto6, Tsukasa Sasaki8, Toshiaki A Furukawa9, Mariko Hiraiwa-Hasegawa10, Kiyoto Kasai6. 1. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia. Electronic address: fujikawa-s@umin.ac.jp. 2. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan. 3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, 2-1-6 Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8506, Japan. 4. Center for Research and Development on Transition from Secondary to Higher Education, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. 5. Center for Evolutionary Cognitive Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan; University of Tokyo Institute for Diversity and Adaptation of Human Mind (UTIDAHM), 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan. 6. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. 7. Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University School of Medicine, 2-11-1 Kaga Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8605, Japan. 8. Laboratory of Health Education, Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. 9. Department of Health Promotion and Human Behavior, Graduate School of Medicine / School of Public Health, Kyoto University, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. 10. School of Advanced Sciences, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Bullying among adolescents can cause depression and suicidality. Identifying the risk factors for bullying in early adolescence, when its prevalence tends to increase, would assist in its prevention. Although certain parenting styles are known to be associated with bullying, the association of slapping as a parental disciplinary practice with early adolescent bullying is not sufficiently understood. Furthermore, little is known about how warm parenting modifies this association although slapping and warm parenting are not mutually exclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of slapping with the experience of early adolescent bullying--categorized in terms of victims, bullies, and bully-victims--while considering how warm parenting modifies this association. METHODS: This study used data from the Tokyo Early Adolescence Survey, a cross-sectional survey of 4478 children aged 10 from the general population. Data were collected from both children and their primary parent using self-administered questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Responses from 4326 participants with no missing data were usable for the current analysis (mean age, 10.2 ± 0.3 years; 53 % boys). RESULTS: Frequent and occasional slapping was associated with increased odds of youth being identified as bullies or bully-victims, even after adjusting for warm parenting. The likelihood of being victims, bullies or bully-victims increased as the frequency of slapping increased. CONCLUSION: Disciplinary slapping was associated with increased odds of bullying in early adolescence, regardless of whether warm parenting was present or not.
INTRODUCTION: Bullying among adolescents can cause depression and suicidality. Identifying the risk factors for bullying in early adolescence, when its prevalence tends to increase, would assist in its prevention. Although certain parenting styles are known to be associated with bullying, the association of slapping as a parental disciplinary practice with early adolescent bullying is not sufficiently understood. Furthermore, little is known about how warm parenting modifies this association although slapping and warm parenting are not mutually exclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of slapping with the experience of early adolescent bullying--categorized in terms of victims, bullies, and bully-victims--while considering how warm parenting modifies this association. METHODS: This study used data from the Tokyo Early Adolescence Survey, a cross-sectional survey of 4478 children aged 10 from the general population. Data were collected from both children and their primary parent using self-administered questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Responses from 4326 participants with no missing data were usable for the current analysis (mean age, 10.2 ± 0.3 years; 53 % boys). RESULTS: Frequent and occasional slapping was associated with increased odds of youth being identified as bullies or bully-victims, even after adjusting for warm parenting. The likelihood of being victims, bullies or bully-victims increased as the frequency of slapping increased. CONCLUSION: Disciplinary slapping was associated with increased odds of bullying in early adolescence, regardless of whether warm parenting was present or not.