The effect of physical punishment by parents on being a bully and a victim: Mediating effect of trait anger

Abstract

Corporal punishment by parents is an important risk factor for bullying and victimization processes among primary and secondary school children. A limited number of studies have been conducted to reveal how physical punishment inflicted by parents on their children affects the process of becoming a bully and a victim and what the underlying dynamics of this effect may be. Using a cross-sectional design, this study examined the mediating role of trait anger in the relationship between physical punishment used by parents to discipline their children and the processes of becoming a bully-victim. Data were obtained from 416 middle school students (49% female; age = 12.89 years). The results showed that corporal punishment positively affected both bullying and victimization processes in middle school students and this effect was positively mediated by trait anger. In addition, this study contributed to the growing body of evidence on the negative consequences of parental corporal punishment and provided new insights into the effects of family dynamics on children's social lives at school. Increasing parental awareness and providing clinical support may mitigate the effects of corporal punishment on children's bully and victimization processes through trait anger.

Keywords

• Corporal punishment
• Trait anger
• Bully
• Victim
• Secondary school students

Anne-baba tarafından uygulanan fiziksel cezanın zorba ve kurban olma üzerindeki etkisi: Sürekli öfkenin aracılık etkisi

Abstract

Anne-babanın uyguladığı fiziksel ceza, ilk ve ortaöğretim çocukları arasında zorba ve kurban olunma süreçleri açısından önemli bir risk faktörüdür. Anne-baba tarafından çocuklarına uygulanan fiziksel cezanın zorba ve kurban olunma sürecini nasıl etkilediğini ve bu etkinin altında yatan dinamiklerinin neler olabileceğini ortaya koyan sınırlı sayıda çalışma yapılmıştır. Kesitsel tasarımın kullanıldığı bu çalışmada, anne-babanın çocuklarını disipline etmek için kullandıkları fiziksel ceza ile zorba-kurban olunma süreçleri arasındaki̇ i̇li̇şki̇de sürekli öfkenin aracı rolünü i̇ncelemi̇şti̇r. Toplam 416 ortaokul öğrencisinden (%49 kız; yaşort = 12,89) veri elde edilmiştir. Sonuçlar, fiziksel cezanın ortaokul öğrencilerinde hem zorba hem kurban olunma sürecini pozitif yönde etkilediğini ve bu etkiye sürekli öfkenin pozitif yönde aracılık ettiğini göstermiştir. Ayrıca bu çalışma, anne-baba tarafından uygulanan fiziksel cezanın olumsuz sonuçlarına ilişkin artan kanıtlara katkıda bulunarak aile içi dinamiklerin çocukların okuldaki sosyal yaşamları üzerindeki etkilerine dair yeni bilgiler sunmuştur. Ailelerin farkındalığını artırmak ve klinik destek sağlamak, fiziksel cezanın sürekli öfkenin aracılığıyla çocuklarda oluşturabilecek zorba ve kurban olunma süreçlerinin etkilerini hafifletebilir.

Keywords

• Fiziksel ceza
• sürekli öfke
• zorba
• kurban
• ortaokul öğrencileri

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