Understand the link between early exposure to family violence and later involvement in school bullying: How can school connectedness help?
Open Access
- Author:
- Liu, Pei Hsuan
- Graduate Program:
- Counselor Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 07, 2019
- Committee Members:
- Dr. SeriaShia J. Chatters, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Dr. SeriaShia J. Chatters, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Dr. JoLynn V. Carney, Committee Member
Dr. Carlomagno Panlilio, Committee Member
Dr. Amy Marshall, Outside Member
Dr. Peggy Lorah, Special Member - Keywords:
- Family Violence
Domestic Violence
Child Maltreatment
Bullying
Peer Victimization
Trauma
FFCWS
Moderation
Counselor Education
School Connectedness
Trauma-Informed School - Abstract:
- The purpose of this study was to examine the association between early exposure to family violence, including domestic violence and child maltreatment, and later involvement in bullying perpetration and peer victimization, as well as the moderating role of school connectedness in this relationship. I conducted a secondary data analysis using data from the Fragile Family and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), and examining a total of 1,630 cases. Controlling for demographic variables including child’s gender, race/ethnicity, family income, and mother’s age, I used two models separately to examine how children’s exposure to family violence at age three predicted their involvement in bullying perpetration and peer victimization at age nine, and how school connectedness moderated the effect of family violence on bullying-related behaviors. Using the Bioecological Theory of Human Development, I applied the Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) model to examine school bullying issues from a social-ecological perspective. My analysis indicated that, when demographic variables were controlled for, being exposed to family violence at age three significantly predicted bullying perpetration and peer victimization at age nine. Although the analysis did not find that school connectedness moderated the relationship between family violence and bullying, it showed a significant association between school connectedness and bullying-related behaviors. The study’s findings suggest that addressing trauma-related issues may be crucial to addressing bullying issues, which indicates that school bullying needs to be addressed through a trauma-informed lens. I conclude this dissertation with a discussion of the study’s findings, implications, strengths and limitations, and by making recommendations for future research.