Open AccessUpstander Intervention and Parenting Styles
Author(s) -
John Chapin,
Alexey M Stern
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of child and adolescent trauma
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.583
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1936-153X
pISSN - 1936-1521
DOI - 10.1007/s40653-019-00287-9
Subject(s) - intervention (counseling) , permissive , psychology , witness , bystander effect , developmental psychology , social psychology , parenting styles , public health , helping behavior , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , nursing , virology , computer science , programming language
Findings from a survey of children and adolescents ( N = 645) documents that students witness and experience a range of abuse at home and at school. Participants freely acknowledged pushing or shoving (46%) and slapping or hitting peers (40%). The study contributes to the literature by focusing on upstanding (active versus passive bystander intervention) and parenting styles. Findings reveal an interesting disconnect between those who say they will intervene when confronted by friends' or peers' bullying behaviors and those who actually have intervened. Children and adolescents with authoritarian parents are more likely to say they would intervene to help peers, but when asked if they actually have done so, they are the least likely to follow-through. In contrast, children with authoritative or permissive parents show the opposite pattern: No significant difference in their intent to intervene, but they are more likely to become upstanders, rather than passive bystanders when actually confronted with bullying behavior.