Explaining Gender Differences in Bullying Behaviors Among US Adolescents: Integrating Social Control and Differential Association

• In Event: Impact of Gender on Bullying and Poly-victimization

Abstract

A review of the research suggests that there are significant discrepancies between the bullying behaviors of male and female adolescents. This study examines the predictors of adolescents’ familial characteristic and its relationship with peers influence on bullying behaviors. An integrated theoretical model derived from Hirschi’s social control and Sutherland’s differential association theory will be tested using multinomial logistic regression models. Data from 9,775 US adolescents from 5th to 10th grades in public, private, and catholic schools from 50 states collected by World Health Organization between 2009 and 2010 school year will be used. The results indicate that both family and peer factors have a significant impact on the bullying behaviors of male and female adolescents. Importantly, adolescents’ family factors based on social control theory (attachment, supervision, and commitment) had a significant impact on their affiliation with deviant peers, which, in turn, affect to involvement of bullying behaviors. Policy implications for bullying prevention at personal, family, peer, and school level are discussed.

Author

• Myunghoon Roh, Northeastern University