Citation

Akerman L, Borsa JC, Landim I, Bienemann B. Psicologia 2018; 31(1): 31.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225, Prédio Cardeal Leme, room 201, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, O Departamento)

DOI

10.1186/s41155-018-0113-0

PMID

32026987

PMCID

PMC6967208

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Bullying is a complex social phenomenon, which is common in peer relationships and is influenced by different individual and contextual characteristics. Despite broad knowledge on the importance of the family for children's development, many studies about bullying neglect the family's active role. In that sense, investigating caregivers' conception about bullying can be an important strategy to promote effective interventions. The objective in this study was to analyze the caregivers' conception on the phenomenon of bullying, specifically regarding its occurrence, motivations, and risks for the children's development, and verify if this conception is consistent with the findings of the international literature. The study participants were 401 caregivers (77.1% were mothers) of children in elementary education at Brazilian schools. An online questionnaire was used with closed questions and an open question on what the caregivers considered bullying. The data were analyzed based on descriptive statistics and quantitative textual analysis.

RESULTS: Caregivers have good knowledge on signs and forms of coping with bullying. On the other hand, they tend not to recognize their children as potential aggressors and do not mention the family's role as a risk factor for the occurrence of this type of problem.

CONCLUSIONS: The results allowed us to understand what Brazilian caregivers think about bullying and how they act or would act towards situations of bullying and reveals a relevant gap on this comprehension.

Language: en

Keywords

Bullying; Caregivers; Children; Iramuteq; Parents