Extent of family and sibling bullying

Children who are slapped and shouted at by their parents are more likely to bully their brothers and sisters. Findings from 'Understanding Society', a study of 40,000 UK households funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, reveals a significant link between parental behaviour and the prevalence of bullying in the home, regardless of the parents' wealth or how educated they are. Researchers from Warwick Medical School and the University of Essex found that in a sample of 2,146 young people aged 11 to 15 years old, nearly 50% of children admitted to being involved in bullying at home. Of these, nearly 42% of children who are slapped by their parents and 37% who are shouted at, admitted that they bullied their siblings and were subject to bullying themselves. In contrast, if children are never slapped or shouted at the percentage of those who bully and those being bullied falls to 32% and 25% respectively. The research is being presented at the biennial Understanding Society/ British Household Panel Study (BHPS) conference from 30 June to 1st July and was conducted jointly by researchers at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Warwick and University of Essex. It examines a range of family factors and behaviour by parents and their effect on bullying among their children.